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"Get a canoe, Hiliary!" called Cathalina as she dived 
from the point in hope of catching Isabel in time. 

( Page 227) ( Grey cliff Heroines) 










GREYCLIFF 

HEROINES 


By HARRIET PYNE GROVE 


Author of 

“Cathalina at Greycliff” “The Girls of Greycliff,” 
“The Greycliff Girls in Camp,” “Greycliff Wings” 



A. L. BURT COMPANY 
Publishers New York 




























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THE 

GREYCLIFF GIRLS SERIES 

A Series of Stories for Girls 

By HARRIET PANE GROVE 

CATHALINA AT GREYCLIFF 
THE GIRLS OF GREYCLIFF 
THE GREYCLIFF GIRLS IN CAMP 
GREYCLIFF HEROINES 
GREYCLIFF WINGS 

Copyright, 1923 

By A. L. BURT COMPANY 

GREYCLIFF HEROINES 

Made in “U. S. A.” 



JUL17 '23 

© Cl A711212 

| 













GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


CHAPTER I 

GUESTS ON THE WAY 

A blue-eyed, sunburned, slight young man leaped 
from a boat to the floating dock at Bath, Maine, and 
reached back for baggage handed him by two red¬ 
faced boys who were evidently most uncomfortable 
at being once more dressed in the garb of civiliza¬ 
tion. One of them pulled at his collar, and moved 
his head uneasily, as he balanced on the edge of the 
little launch, and then sprang out with a whoop 
which was the vent for his suppressed spirits. 

“So long, boys,” said the two, in farewell to two 
others who remained in the boat. 

“So long.” 

“Goodbye, Mr. Stuart.” 

“Goodbye, boys.” 

The launch chugged away up the river toward 
Boothbay Camp, and the tall young camp councillor, 
with the two boys and their luggage, as well as his 

3 



4 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


own, started up the slight rise toward the main street 
of the quaint New England town. 

At the same time, an attractive, well-dressed lady, 
apparently under middle age, was walking briskly in 
the direction of this little street which led to the 
dock, and just before starting to cross it she saw the 
party of three coming toward her. Whereupon she 
waited, smiling a little. 

“Well met, Campbell Stuart/’ said she. 

In pleased surprise, the young councillor stopped 
and held out his hand. “So here you are, Auntie! 
I was wondering when you would get here! All 
alone? Too early for the girls, I guess. I didn’t 
see anything of the boats from Merrymeeting Camp 
as we came down the river. However, that is no 
sign that they aren’t coming in shortly. I have to 
take these kids to the station up here and see that 
they make their train. Where shall I meet you and 
the girls?” 

“I just came in on the train from Portland, and 
we forgot to arrange by letter just where to meet. 
So I think I’d better go down to the dock, don’t 
you?” 

“It isn’t much of a place for you to stay, Aunt 
Sylvia, but I’ll be back soon, and you will be sure to 
catch the girls there. Where’s the car?—and Phil?” 

“In Boston,” replied Mrs. Van Buskirk with a 
comical look. “I’ll tell you all about it later. Are 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 5 

these some of the young gentlemen from the boys’ 
camp ?” 

The boys, who had been standing aside, though 
listening with interest to the conversation, were in¬ 
troduced and soon hurried off, while Mrs. Van Bus- 
kirk went down to the dock, to which she had been 
directed, and sat down on a long bench there, with 
people who were waiting for some boat. Presently 
she saw the boats from Merrymeeting Girls’ Camp, 
which she recognized because of their load of happy 
girls, and walked across the muddy driveway toward 
the floating dock, where she saw that they were 
about to land. Her first glimpse of her daughter 
Cathalina came when the girls began to disentangle 
themselves from mass formation, and Cathalina 
jumped out, shaking out the wrinkles in her dress 
and tucking back wisps of hair which had been blown 
about by the Kennebec breezes. 

“1 don’t know where we shall find Mother,” 
Cathalina was saying, as Hilary and June Lancaster, 
Betty Barnes and Lilian North joined her, “but we 
can walk on up and look for the car. We forgot to 
appoint the spot.” Just then she saw her mother. 
“Why, Mothery! How nice of you to come down 
to meet us! Where’s Phil ? Here are the rest of us.” 

Mrs. Van Buskirk warmly greeted each girl and 
they turned away from the river to join the scat¬ 
tering girls, who made quite a procession up the 
short street. 


6 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“We have to see June off, you know, Mother,” 
explained Cathalina. “She goes straight through 
with the girls and councillors of that crowd. A good 
many of our friends are leaving. Do you care 
if we go?” 

“Not at all. Where shall we meet?” 

“You couldn’t take us to the station?” 

“The car isn’t here, dear; it is in Boston.” 

“Mercy! What shall we do!” exclaimed Cathalina. 

“I have a good plan.” Cathalina and her mother 
were walking together and the rest of their group 
followed. “Do you think that they would enjoy 
going by boat to Boston?—at my expense, of 
course.” 

Cathalina hesitated a moment. “Why, I imagine 
they’d like it. But why the change ?” 

“Your father could get away, he found, and we 
have been up in the White Mountains for a week 
and more. Then he went back and I came on to 
Portland for a few days. Philip was delayed until 
your father returned to New York. The chauffeur 
was to have the car and Philip in Boston either to¬ 
day or tomorrow, and I arrived at Bath about an 
hour ago—at your service, my daughter!” 

Cathalina laughed. “I see. Our house party is 
to begin on a boat. You are a dear and a darling. 
Do you mind coming with us to the station? I’d 
like to have you meet some of the girls. Frances 
Anderson and Marion Thurman we may not see for 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 7 

a long time. They do not go to Greycliff, you 
know.” 

“Very well. Campbell just went to the station 
with two sunburned boys from camp. I met him as 
I was coming to the dock. By the way, your own 
complexions are of the stylish summer type.” 

“Oh, yes! We’re always in the state of being 
either red, blistered or brown. The girls with black 
hair are the only ones that show any contrast.” 

At the station Mrs. Van Buskirk was highly en¬ 
tertained. It had been a long time since she had seen 
so many girls abroad together. There were eager 
last messages, goodbyes, clusters of happy, laugh¬ 
ing girls, and finally the moving train, bright faces 
in windows and waving hands. Campbell had joined 
the party, and after the train left they returned to 
seats in the station while the matter of getting to 
Boston was under consideration. Mrs. Van Buskirk 
explained the change of plan as she had to Cathalina, 
to find the young people quite pleased with the idea 
of the boat trip to Boston. 

“The boat does not leave till somewhere around 
seven o’clock,” said Campbell. “I’ll find out the 
exact time. We can have lunch at the Colonial on 
the way down. I don’t know what sort of accommo¬ 
dations we shall be able to get.” * 

“That’s so,” said Cathalina. “There are two 
parties from our camp taking the trip to Boston, 
New York and Washington.” 


8 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“I took it for granted/’ said Mrs. Van Buskirk, 
‘‘that we’d go by boat, and telegraphed from Port¬ 
land for reservations.” 

“I might have known,” said Cathalina, with re¬ 
lief, knowing, too, that the reservations would in¬ 
clude the best staterooms on the steamer. 

They left the station, Campbell, with courtesy, ac¬ 
companying his aunt; but Mrs. Van Buskirk said 
that she must talk to Cathalina about several matters 
and thus changed the order of march. Betty and 
Lilian purposely fell in together, leaving Hilary free 
for Campbell. 

“This house party,” said Campbell, “is one fine 
plan of Aunt Sylvia’s.” 

“I guess Cathalina thought it up, didn’t she?” 
replied Hilary. 

“Yes, but it takes Aunt Sylvia to give people the 
time of their lives!” 

“She is too lovely for words,” assented Hilary. 
“I’ll never forget my other visit in New York. And 
she doesn’t seem to be making any effort, either.” 

“She makes kind plans and is fortunate in having 
the means to carry them out. But I believe that her 
house is really the center of operations for our whole 
clan, the ‘sisters and cousins and aunts/ as you said.” 

“Shall we see the relatives this time?” 

“Ann Maria’s home, I believe, and the Van Nesses. 
But you are not to spend too much time with any of 
them. I’m going to show you New York!” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


9 


“O, indeed!” laughed Hilary. “That sounds in¬ 
teresting. It will seem different from the wintry 
days I spent there and will be another new experi¬ 
ence.” 

At the Colonial they decided to make their meal 
a dinner at Cathalina’s suggestion, “so we won’t 
have to bother with it on the boat. I want some 
beefsteak with French fried potatoes—let’s see!” 

“O, Cathalina,” said Hilary, “just ordinary beef¬ 
steak with all these seafood things? I want some 
sort of a clam broth and some shrimp salad, and I 
must have a last New England doughnut—” 

There was plenty of quiet fun at that last meal 
in little Bath. Mrs. Van Buskirk enjoyed it as much 
as any of them. Then they strolled down to the 
dock to which the City of Rockland would come. 
“How many times at camp, girls,” said Lilian, “have 
we heard that old boat salute us—three long hoots’!” 

“I’ve never been on the real ocean before,” said 
Hilary. 

“Neither have I,” said Betty. 

“We have good weather,” said Mrs. Van Buskirk, 
“and it will be moonlight.” 

Moonlight it was, as they all sat well forward on 
the deck to watch the moon, the clouds, and the 
shores of the Kennebec. Then at last they reached 
the ocean. Hilary caught her breath a little as they 
first felt the ocean swell, but it was calm “on the 
deep,” and the ship fairly steady. 


10 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“Are you all right?” Campbell inquired with con¬ 
cern, as he drew up his chair next to Hilary. 

“O, yes. I felt a little funny at first, but I love it!” 

There was much to tell Mrs. Van Buskirk. Camp¬ 
bell told the most amusing tales of doings at the 
boys’ camp and the girls described the grand finale 
of the last week in Merrymeeting Camp, the ban¬ 
quet, the prizes, the last trips and fun, which had 
not been included in any of Cathalina’s letters home. 

“Probably your last letter is waiting for me at 
home, Cathalina,” said Mrs. Van Buskirk. “When 
I left Boston for this little trip with your father I 
left word for the mail to be forwarded to New 
York. Our visit to the White Mountains was un¬ 
expected, you know, but Mr. Van Buskirk needed 
a cooler place to rest than Boston. Your Aunt Ann, 
Cathalina, was so disappointed, but it couldn’t be 
helped, and I had been there long enough anyway. 
By the way, what do you girls want to see in 
Boston ?” 

“Speak up, Hilary,” said Cathalina, smiling, as 
there was a slight hesitation on the part of the girls 
addressed. 

“Oh, your mother will know where we ought to 
go. Of course I’d like to see the Bunker Hill Monu¬ 
ment, and the place where the Boston Tea Party 
was, and if it isn’t too much trouble to drive there, 
Lexington and Concord—and the Harvard build¬ 
ings are in Cambridge, aren’t they ? And, Oh, I do 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 11 

want to see the place where Miss Alcott wrote 'Little 
Women’!” 

"You have chosen well, Hilary. Of course we 
shall drive out through Cambridge, Lexington and 
Concord. I think that I shall rest in the hotel in the 
morning and let the boys take you girls around the 
city. But after lunch we shall start early, and I 
believe I can tell you many interesting things about 
the different places. Nearly everything is historic 
or has literary associations. I love Concord myself, 
Hilary, and the Alcott home will delight you girls.” 

It was late, indeed, when the party sought their 
staterooms. Mrs. Van Buskirk had one to herself, 
and had arranged for Cathalina and Betty to be 
together, Hilary and Lilian next door. 

"My, this is different from the lake trip, isn’t it?” 
Betty commented, as the boat rolled about a little 
and she occasionally took hold of something to steady 
herself. 

"Does it make you feel sick?” 

"Not a bit, just funny.” 

But both the girls, their chaperone, and the con¬ 
tented Campbell were soon in deepest slumber till 
time to rise and watch the boat come in to Boston 
Harbor. 

"I do hope that Phil will be there!” said Cathalina. 

"If he is not,” said Mrs. Van Buskirk, "we shall 
not waste any time. He knows the hotel at which I 
shall stop, and if our own car has not arrived we can 


12 


GEEYCLIFF HEROINES 


take a taxi around the city, and, indeed, one of the 
motor trips out to Lexington and Concord.” 

“But you wouldn’t get your rest, Mrs. Van Bus- 
kirk,” said Lilian. 

“I was tired yesterday, but I believe that I shall 
go with you this morning anyway. It is going to be 
a fine day to drive. We shall see. I must get in a 
little time to take you all around to Aunt Ann’s, for 
she would be heart-broken if Cathalina and Phil were 
here and she did not see them.” 

Mrs. Van Buskirk believed in having plans ready 
for any emergency, but Philip, to whom one of his 
mother’s telegrams had gone, was not only in the 
city, but at the dock with the car. This he left with 
the chauffeur, while he chose a place of vantage to 
see the people come off the boat, for Philip Van 
Buskirk was not going to miss any of this visit with 
Lilian North. 

“Oh, there’s Philip now, Mothery,” exclaimed 
Cathalina, as Mrs. Van Buskirk and the girls, fol¬ 
lowing the crowd which was crossing the gangplank, 
reached the outer air and made ready to cross. Lilian 
had seen him, but made no comment as she caught 
a welcoming glance from Philip’s dark eyes. 

It was no time at all before they were leaning back 
on comfortable cushions in a luxurious car, while 
Philip and Mrs. Van Buskirk conferred a little with 
the chauffeur, who touched his cap and departed. 

“Boston is the home of our chauffeur,” explained 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 13 

Mrs. Van Buskirk to the girls as Philip helped her 
into the machine. “He is to have a short vacation 
while Philip and Campbell drive us home. ,, 

Philip Van Buskirk and Campbell Stuart were of 
about the same height, tall, slight and active, but of 
contrasting complexions, though Philip's skin was 
clear and smooth. 

“Phil is the handsomest," thought Lilian, as she 
looked at the two boys in front, and she regretted her 
own present complexion, rather sunburned from the 
camp experience, though not as bad as Cathalina 
had extravagantly indicated. For Lilian was recall¬ 
ing a remark of Philip’s, in the pine grove at camp, 
when he looked at her admiringly while he said 
something about liking “golden-haired, blue-eyed, 
lovely-faced girls." 

At the same time, Hilary of the dark brown locks 
was admiring Campbell’s fairness and contrasting 
him favorably with the graceful, stylish Philip. Both 
youths had the square shoulders and fine carriage 
which their early years at the military school in the 
South had given them. 

Cathalina, whose spiritual face and dreamy, sky- 
blue eyes had not changed much in spite of the prac¬ 
tical experiences of the last two years, was thinking, 
“I’ll soon be in New York," and visualized a call 
from a strong, well-built young officer with sunny 
brown hair about the shade of her own, a wave in 


14 GREYCLIFF HEROINES 

one front lock, deep-set brown eyes, and a serious, 
kind face. 

Betty, whose coloring was like Cathalina’s, but 
on whose rounder face two dimples chased in and 
out, was not thinking at all of any young man, but 
of Boston and the sights she was to see immediately, 
for her knight of the Hallowe’en mirror was far 
away, and she would not see Donald Hilton till 
school began. 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


35 


CHAPTER II 

CHICKEN SENSE 

So far, the weather had been ideal for the drive 
to New York. It was warm but not too warm. The 
roads were well dried off from recent showers, but 
not dusty, and the country looked fresh and green. 
They had stopped in some of the most delightful 
places their guests had ever seen, and the young 
people had made one long picnic of the whole trip, 
after their exciting day in Boston. Philip joked 
Campbell in private about the “Hilaryous” time he 
was having and Campbell retorted with a conun¬ 
drum, “Why are you like a sailor ?” 

“The answer has something to do with ‘North/ I 
suppose?” 

Campbell nodded. 

“Because my compass always points to the 
‘North’ ?” 

“That would be very good,” assented Campbell, 
“but I was thinking—because you always know 
where the North is.” 

“What a pity that Aunt Sylvia and the girls have 
to miss our brilliant punning!” 


16 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


But in spite of the special attraction which Hilary 
had for Campbell, and Lilian had for Philip, the 
gentlemen of the party were attentive to all the ladies, 
as they should be, and cheerfully performed the 
duties which naturally fell to them in the absence of 
the chauffeur. 

On this occasion they were picnicking. They had 
stopped at a farmhouse to buy corn and melons, and 
had also found fresh cookies and a big, warm apple 
pie. Philip, Campbell and the girls came back to the 
car with hands full. 

“I got some of the thickest cream, Mother,” called 
Cathalina, “and the farmer’s wife made fresh coffee 
for us.” Cathalina held up two thermos bottles with 
triumph, and began to sing, “The farmer in the dell, 
the farmer in the dell! High, ho, the Derry, O, the 
farmer in the dell!” She had never been real sure 
of the words, but that made no difference! 

“Hush, Kittens,” said Philip, who was always 
evolving some new nickname for his sister. He was 
beginning to hand his bundles to Lilian, who had 
climbed into the car. “The man directed us, Mother, 
to a place where there is spring water that he says 
is all right. Say! Campbell, why didn’t I think to 
buy a chicken ?” 

“Oh, we don’t want one,” said Mrs. Van Buskirk. 
“It would take too long to cook it. You can roast 
or boil the corn in a jiffy. By the way, did they 
have fresh butter?” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


17 


“Oodles,” said Philip. “I saw them doing up a 
little pat for Cathalina in a clean cloth and some 
oiled paper!” 

“If I hadn’t seen those chickens in time up the 
road—” began Campbell, and the rest started to 
laugh. 

“That fat old hen that decided to cross the road 
just before we got to her would have been about the 
right size.” 

“Too tough, Campbell,” said Betty, laughing. 

“I saw a man just out of Boston,” remarked 
Philip, “that had chicken sense.” 

“What sort of sense is that?” inquired his mother. 

“Same kind that Campbell tells about. Concluded 
he wanted to cross just before we got there, couldn’t 
have waited till we passed, and I honked and put on 
the brakes just in time! It’s a sort of disturbance 
of the mental gearing, I guess. Seeing the machine 
makes them think of trouble.” 

“I remember the incident,” said Mrs. Van Bus- 
kirk. “But we have to be ready for things like that. 
It’s the easiest thing in the world to blame the pedes¬ 
trian. But I was brought up in the good old days 
of the carriages that we had up to about ten years 
ago, and we were trained to protect the people on 
foot.” 

“Hear, hear!” said Philip as he started tHe car. 
“Everybody hold on to the lunch. It’s just around 
the curve in the road, I believe.” 


18 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


In a few minutes, Philip turned the machine into 
the shade of some trees and bushes by the roadside, 
while they looked up a gently rising little hill to a 
tangled wood and a succession of ravines and hills. 

“This looks good, plenty of wood for a fire, a 
cleared space in front, and stony. I suppose the 
spring is back farther. Think you can get up there. 
Mother?” 

“It will certainly be a pity if I can’t/’ replied his 
mother. “You just watch me! Come on, Campbell, 
give me a hand and we will hunt for the spring. 
I can carry that little hamper, too.” 

“Indeed not, Mother,” replied Philip. “I’m con¬ 
vinced. You need not prove your prowess further! 
We’ll bring all the stuff up while you hunt for water. 
This is the Swiss Family Robinson! Can you tell, 
Hilary, by the bark, whether a banana tree is bearing 
cocoanuts this year or not?” 

“One thing we can do, Philip,” said Betty—“make 
clothing for the family out of the skins of all the 
wild animals you and Campbell catch!” 

“Look out, there!” cried Philip suddenly, and he 
reached out a hand to pull Lilian toward the car. 
She had gotten out on the side next the road and 
was gathering together some of their wraps and 
packages. With one wild honk, a car whizzed 
around the corner, balanced on its outer wheels, con¬ 
tinued a little further and stopped. It was a large 
car like their own, with only one occupant, a man 


GKEYCLIFF HEROINES 


19 


who was having trouble with his engine. It puffed 
and snorted for a while, but the girls and Philip did 
not wait to see the outcome when they saw that the 
car had not turned over. With their lunch, and 
various comforts in the way of robes and wraps to 
sit on, they pursued their way toward the woods, 
after Philip had closed and locked the car. 

"Did you find the spring, Mother ?” asked Philip. 
"I must needs bathe my fevered brow.” 

"It is only a few steps down the side of the ra¬ 
vine,” replied Mrs. Van Buskirk, pointing. “All of 
you will want a cool drink, as Campbell and I did. 
This is a beautiful place for a picnic. I’m glad we 
came around this way. How did you happen to 
know about this road ? It isn’t on the map.” 

"Pat pointed it out as we came from home and 
said that there was a way to get through here, but 
not many tourists used the road because it was not 
good in some places, and especially bad in wet 
weather. If it had rained, I would not have brought 
you here. But I thought we could just about do it 
and make our next stopping place by night.” 

While this conversation was going on the girls 
were preparing the eatables and the boys gathering 
sticks for the fire. All the accompaniments for a 
picnic lunch were contained in the Van Buskirk car. 
It was an easy matter to serve it. But to save time, 
most of their meals on the way were taken in hotels 
or tea rooms along the roads. 


20 


GKEYCLIFF HEKOINES 


As the picnickers were enjoying their lunch, the 
man of the car below came up the hill with a cup, 
and inquired of Philip where the spring was located. 
Philip rose and showed him the place, asking if he 
needed any help on his car. 

“I was going to ask you if you can loan me a few 
tools,” replied the man, “but I did not like to call 
you away till you had finished your lunch.” 

“Oh, that is no matter,” and Philip went down 
hill to find one or two small implements that the man 
told him he lacked. “Just leave them on the step,” 
said Philip, “when you are through.” 

“Funny looking customer,” remarked Campbell, 
when Philip came back. 

“He was real polite, though,” said Betty. 

“Do you suppose he will put the tools back?” 
asked Mrs. Van Buskirk. 

“I guess so. He had almost everything he needed 
himself. His tire seems to be punctured and he is 
fixing it up.” 

“Why doesn’t he put on a new one?” inquired 
Cathalina. 

“Possibly he hasn’t any, or wants to be economi¬ 
cal. Shall I go down and ask him?” 

“You seem to be getting sarcastic, Philly,” was 
Cathalina’s comment. “I don’t blame you, though. 
Who can eat this last ear of corn ? Going, going— 
.gone!” and Cathalina put it on Philip’s picnic plate. 
“We ate more while you were gone. Now it’s time 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


21 


for pie. Mother, there’s more coffee for you, and, 
Lilian, you postively must finish up this marmalade 
you like. Campbell, can't you eat another cookie? 
A New England cookie? a spice cookie? a crisp 
brown cookie?” 

“Sounds like lines from the ‘Old Oaken Bucket/ ” 
said Campbell, “but if I am to eat a piece of apple 
pie, I must positively refuse to take anything else. 
The ‘little birdies’ will eat it, Cousin. Lilian, can’t 
you compose an ode to ‘The Last Cookie’ ?” 

“ ’Twas the last cookie in the hamper,” began 
Lilian in song, “left cru-hum-bling a-a-a-a-lone! All 
its—I fear me that the tune of the ‘Last Rose of 
Summer’ is a little intricate at this stage! May I 
have my piece of pie?” 

“Pie it is,” answered Philip, as he took Lilian’s 
plate. 

The party took its time over the dessert, much 
spring water, and the gathering up of impedimenta. 
While they were thus engaged, they heard the engine 
of their neighbor below start, a honk from his horn, 
and looked up to see him wave and call, “Thank 
you.” He looked back once with a broad grin upon 
his face, then disappeared in a cloud of gasoline 
smoke. 

“That was a funny performance,” said Mrs. Van 
Buskirk. “I thought his face ugly enough before, 
but that grin was positively malicious. I suppose he 
has gone off with your tools, Philip.” 


22 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


Philip was really annoyed at this implication of 
his carelessness, but was too courteous always to his 
mother to show it much. 

“I guess we’ll find ’em all right, Mother,” he 
replied. 

As they went down the hill to the car, they noticed 
a decided cooling of the atmosphere with the passing 
of the afternoon. 

“Do you think that we will get in early enough, 
Philip?” 

“Yes, Mother, and the night will be beautiful, 
moonlight still. We ought to make a hundred miles 
easily after we get out on the main road, and that 
will take us into a good town, though there are some 
fair little villages along. No, thanks, Campbell, I’ll 
drive till we get out of this hilly place. I know the 
car a little better.” 

Everybody climbed in but Philip, who had picked 
up the borrowed tools from the step with an air of 
triumph, and paraded them before his mother and 
Cathalina. He took a last look at the tires and 
stepped around behind the car—when they heard 
him exclaim in surprise. “The scoundrel!” he said. 

“Why, what’s the matter, Philip?” 

“That thief has helped himself to our extra tire! 
That is why he gave us that farewell grin! Wait 
till I catch up with him!” Philip hurried into the 
car and made ready to start. 

“Wait, Philip,” said Campbell. “Are you sure 


GKEYCLIFF HEKOINES 


23 


that our tires are all right? He would know, of 
course, that the first thing you would want to do 
would be to catch him or get to a telephone.” 

“Telephoning would not do any good. He’ll keep 
to out of the way places and go around the towns. 
I bet that his car is a stolen one!” 

Both Campbell and Philip got out, and went 
around to look closely at tires and wheels. “I can’t 
find a thing out of the way,” said Campbell. 

“I thought they were all right when I looked be¬ 
fore,” said Philip. 

“Do be sure about it,” said Mrs. Van Buskirk 
anxiously, and the girls leaned out with faces show¬ 
ing concern. 

“Maybe he has put a few tacks around,” suggested 
Campbell, beginning to look along the ground.” 
Perhaps he thought we would start, though, without 
finding out about the theft. The back of the car 
was so concealed by those bushes.” 

“I wish I had thought to have the whole car where 
we could see it from where we were! Chicken sense! 
Chicken sense!” 

At this the girls exploded into laughter, while 
Mrs. Van Buskirk reached out to pat Philip’s sleeve 
and say “Never mind, son, we can’t think of every¬ 
thing.” 

“Oh, yes, Mother, you are very fine about it, but 1 
know you are thinking how I just shook those tools 
in your face!” Philip was rather enjoying the joke 


24 


GEEYCLIFF HEEOINES 


on himself now. “That chap thought that we’d 
never notice if he left the tools all right.” 

“Drive carefully, Philip, for fear the man did do 
something to the car.” 

“I will, Mother.” 

They started down the hill, around curves, across 
little bridges, where the narrow road like a ribbon 
wound in and out. 

“Suppose the man had trouble again and we 
should catch up with him,” suggested Betty. “What 
would we do?” 

“Not a thing, Betty,” replied Philip. “He would 
have a gun. The only way we could really catch 
him and get our tire would be to get the police after 
him at some place on the route. You girls need not 
worry. We are not anxious to take you into trouble. 
I only want to get on the main road before we have 
anything happen to a tire.” 

“And we are one hundred miles from a town!” 
said Mrs. Van Buskirk. 

“Oh, no, Mother. You are thinking of what I 
said; but, remember, I mentioned villages. It isn’t 
that far from a place where we could stay, and I 
think that it is only a few miles from a village where 
I could get a tire, or have something fixed if neces¬ 
sary. See, we are in sight of the main road now.” 

Philip had scarcely spoken when there was a loud 
report—then a second. 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


25 


“There are the tacks, Philip/’ said Campbell. 
“The villain’s plot is bared!” 

“Melodrama!” said Lilian. 

The girls as well as the boys left the car to exam¬ 
ine the road where the two tires had been punc¬ 
tured. “Glass and all sorts of sharp things,” said 
Philip. “He must go prepared for occasions like 
this. See? All this never came here by chance.” 

Campbell walked over to the other side of the 
road. “Nothing here,” he reported. “But it was 
made sure that on the other side we couldn’t miss it.” 

“Perhaps since we had been kind,” suggested Mrs. 
Van Buskirk, “he wouldn’t leave us stranded up in 
the hills, and let us come nearer civilization before 
our tires were punctured.” 

“You would be bound to find some good in him. 
Mother,” said Philip. “Do we go forward on rims, 
or do we patch up ? Two tires!” 

Campbell was already getting out the “first aid” 
equipment. “He knew we’d need the things he bor¬ 
rowed, all right!” said he. “Come on, Phil, we may 
as well get to work. You ladies can enjoy the beau¬ 
ties of nature for the next hour or so. Get out your 
field glasses, Hilary. I heard a grasshopper sparrow 
over in that field.” 

The girls scattered, Hilary and Lilian with the 
field glasses, Cathalina and Betty to look for wild 
flowers, while Mrs. Van Buskirk hunted out a book 
from the luggage. The two young mechanics worked 


26 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


busily, having taken the machine on beyond the pos¬ 
sibility of another puncture. The “villain” had con¬ 
tented himself with preparing the one place for 
trouble. 

“Say, Phil,” said Campbell, suddenly, “have you 
looked to see whether we have enough gas?” 

“You haven’t forgotten, have you, that we just 
got a supply at the little town before we struck this 
road ?” 

“No, I haven’t, but you forget our friend who 
needed the tire. Perhaps he needed some gas, too.” 

Philip finished the particular detail he was on 
with only the laconic remark, “Chicken sense,” and 
then started an investigation of the tank, with Camp¬ 
bell as an interested spectator and assistant. “You’re 
right. He needed almost all of it. But I think that 
there is enough, with that little can that Mother 
always insists we take along, to get us where we 
can fill up again. Mother, here is where your fore¬ 
thought gets the applause.” 

Mrs. Van Buskirk smiled and placidly read on. 

Finally the work was done. Philip and Campbell 
gave the whistles of their college fraternity, to call 
the wandering girls, and the party once more were 
off. The car ran easily, and the gasoline lasted until 
they reached the first town, which, fortunately, hap¬ 
pened to be of a fair size, and Philip thought that he 
could find another tire there to replace the stolen one. 
But just as they turned into the street where they 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 27 

had been told the shop they were seeking was located, 
they saw a small crowd gathered about a machine a 
short distance ahead. 

"It’s our man 1” exclaimed Philip, and he brought 
up his car to the curb not far from the source of ex¬ 
citement. He and Campbell lost no time in arriving 
on the scene, while the girls and Mrs. Van Buskirk 
watched with interest. 

“They’re taking him out of the car!” said Betty. 

“Yes; see those two policemen?” 

“I suppose that is the sheriff.” 

“Philip’s talking to him. I wonder if we’ll have 
to wait for a trial or anything.” 

“Mercy, no. At least, I hope not.” 

“Look, there is a nice looking gentleman there— 
I wonder who he is.” 

Thus ran the comments on the moving picture 
before them, which lacked the usual printed infor¬ 
mation. “I suppose it wouldn’t be proper for us to 
go any nearer,” said Cathalina, whose interest had 
reached the point of curiosity. 

“Certainly not,” replied her mother. “Always 
^keep away from anything like that. I think that the 
car probably was stolen and that the owner is iden¬ 
tifying it.” 

In a few minutes Philip came back to the car, 
while Campbell was helping the other gentleman un¬ 
fasten the Van Buskirk’s tire from the back of the 
stolen machine. Philip brought his car up close, the 


28 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


tire was transferred to the place where it belonged, 
and the journey was resumed. 

“Yes,” said Philip, in answer to the questions. 
“They caught the fellow outside of town and brought 
him in. This gentleman had telephoned to the police 
and by good luck had just arrived on the trolley car. 
He had had other business there and just happened 
to stop, had telephoned several towns. The man. 
confessed to having stolen our tire, and the other 
man knew it was not his, so it was quickly attended 
to. It seems that this fellow is wanted on several 
charges. The police seemed to know him. He had 
a gun, as we thought he would, and tried to use it 
when they caught him.” 

“He was an ugly customer,” remarked Campbell. 

“We are very fortunate to have escaped so well,” 
said Mrs. Van Buskirk. “If you had not closed the 
windows and locked the car, Philip, I suppose he 
might have stolen more.” 

The rest of the journey was pursued without any 
hindrance or unpleasant experiences. It seemed to 
the girls who were the guests that it was a beautiful 
dream of passing trees, hills,' water and sky, seen 
from the midst of comfort and good companionship. 
Then came New York and the handsome home of 
the Van Buskirks. 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


29 


CHAPTER III 

THE HOUSE PARTY 

Lilian and Betty were as much impressed as 
Hilary had been, upon her first visit, with the beauty 
and quiet elegance of Cathalina’s home. Betty 
shared Cathalina’s room with its blue, silver and 
white fittings, while Hilary and Lilian occupied the 
rose room, which had been Hilary’s upon that mem¬ 
orable Christmas time. “I thought it would be 
more fun for us to be close together,” Cathalina 
said, “but if any of you would like to be alone, it can 
just as well be arranged.” 

“Who would want to be alone?” replied Lilian. 
“This is delightful.” 

The baggage had come through safely, and the 
girls found their prettiest frocks all pressed and 
hanging in the closets. Cathalina’s maid was a 
different one from the girl Hilary remembered, and 
Cathalina laughed as she explained what Phil called 
her “alliterative succession” of maids, Etta, Edna, 
Ethel and now Edith, “my 'French’ maids,” said 
Cathalina. “The last ones did not stay long. 
Mother did not think they were good, but Edith is 
fine. She is English.” 


30 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


Hilary and Lilian found another maid appointed 
to answer their bell, and confided to each other that 
they hoped not to make any mistakes in their own 
deportment regarding her. “Oh, it does not make 
any real difference,” said Hilary. “If we are simple 
and nice, as we ought'to be, I guess we shall not 
make any very bad mistakes. I think, Lil, that you 
might as well get used to one!” 

Lilian blushed, for Hilary’s meaning was not hard 
to understand, and the state of Philip’s feeling to¬ 
ward Lilian had been quite apparent on their auto¬ 
mobile trip. However, within the next twenty-four 
hours Lilian’s ideas were to change somewhat. 

Cathalina and Philip were as busy as could be in 
those first hours after their arrival, making arrange¬ 
ments for different sorts of good times. 

“You will excuse me, won’t you, girls, while I call 
up the family and get things started. I want some 
of them to come over tonight and I must find out 
who of the friends are in town.” Cathalina, fresh 
from her bath, her soft brown hair prettily arranged 
by her maid, a cool, light summer dress floating 
about her, was an attractive picture as she sat by the 
little table to telephone. 

“Is that you, Ann Maria ? Good! I thought you 
girls would be back in time for us to see you. Did 
you have a great time? Yes, we had a wonderful 
summer at camp—more fun! Yes, we just came in 
an hour or so ago. How are Uncle and Aunt Knick- 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


31 


erbocker? Oh, is that so? Well, why can’t you 
stay all night here, then—you and Louise? We 
want you all to come after dinner tonight, to meet 
the girls. I’m going to call up Louise and Nan and 
Emily. Robert Paget will get in before dinner, Phil 
thinks. I’m calling Rosalie and Lawrence Haverhill, 
too. Anybody else that you can think of? Some¬ 
body we could ask on short notice. Oh, yes. I’ll 
get Phil to call him. Well have light refreshments. 
Come early.” 

Cathalina danced away and over to Philip’s room, 
where she knocked. 

“That you, Kitsie? All right, come in. That’s 
all, Louis. There are the letters to be mailed.” 

Philip was as freshly attired as Cathalina and 
making great plans for happy hours with Lilian. 
“Be seated, Miss Van Buskirk!” 

“No, thanks, Phil—I just had a little matter to 
speak to you about. If Mother thinks it’s all right, 
would you mind calling up a young man I met at 
school last year—if he’s in town—and can come—” 

“Lots of ‘ifs’ in the way, it seems,” said Philip, 
his eyes sparkling. Why should Philip worry about 
anything? Was not the sweetest girl in the world 
in the same house with him ? 

“Yes, Philly, that’s so. I’m not sure it’s proper 
to be so informal with him, but Mother will know 
about that. It’s the Captain Van Horne that was 
nice to me at school last year, you know. We ex- 



32 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


changed addresses and he asked me if he could calk 
or I invited him to call, I don’t remember which, 
lie is an instructor in the military school.” 

“I remember about him. Of course it’s proper 
for me to ask him to come around, and if he can’t 
come tonight, shall I ask him for the other party, or 
to call to see us?” 

'‘Yes, please. You’re a good brother.” 

“By the way, Cathalina, after the telephoning 
could you manage to let me have Lilian to myself a 
while—out on the veranda or somewhere? I’ll find 
the place, if I can get the girl!” 

“Yes, Philly, indeed I will. You’ve hardly had 
a good visit with Lilian since we started from 
Boston.” Cathalina gave Philip a roguish glance as 
she whirled out of the room. Phil mischievously 
winked, put his hand over his heart and said, “I now 
call up the Van Horne at his ancestral abode, but I 
was saving you for Bob Paget.” 

“Oh, let Betty have him,” Cathalina called as she 
disappeared down the hall in the direction of the 
girls’ room. “Boys always like Betty.” 

“What is that, Cathalina?” asked Betty. “Seems 
to me I heard my name.” 

“You did. I was just making the wise remark 
to Philip that boys always like you.” 

“How horrid! That doesn’t sound like you, 
Cathalina.” 

“You don’t know the circumstances. We were. 



GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


planning who was for whom at our party and I 
mentioned you for a certain young man and made 
that remark. You are always lovely and pretty and 
the boys do like you.” 

The girls had been Having a confab in the rose 
room in Cathalina’s absence. Lilian was looking in 
the mirror to -see if the maid’s hair dressing had 
been effective. “Oh, Cathalina,” said she, “please 
tell me about some of your relatives that will be 
here. Remember that we haven’t been here before, 
like Hilary.” 

“You’ll not have such a time as poor Hilary had,” 
said Cathalina with a laugh. “She had to meet the 
whole clan, aunts, uncles and cousins, at our regular 
Christmas gathering, and had a great time to 
straighten us all out. Campbell insisted on giving 
her the whole family history.” 

“Probably that was just as well,” said Betty, with 
meaning. 

“Tonight,” continued Cathalina, “there’ll just be 
the young folks. Campbell will bring his sisters 
over, or at least Emily. Sara is younger. Emily 
is about a year older than Campbell. Then Louise 
Van Ness, who is about Phil’s age, and Nan Van 
Ness, who is my age, will be here. Rosalie Haver¬ 
hill is an old friend of mine, and her brother Law¬ 
rence, who has been attending the same school as 
Phil, has been one of his best friends. Oh, yes, Ann 
Maria Van Ness is the niece of Uncle and Aunt 


34 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


Knickerbocker, who lives with them. She and 
Louise have been great chums, and in the same set 
of young folks with Phil and Lawrence. Robert 
Paget is Phil’s friend, you know, who is coming 
today. Phil had a telegram from him not long ago. 
He’s going to the station in the car pretty soon to 
meet him. He and Phil and Campbell and Law¬ 
rence are all in the same fraternity. Ann Maria 
suggested another friend of hers and Philip’s, but 
he had another engagement. This will be a very 
informal affair indeed, gotten up on the spur of the 
moment, as it were. There’ll not be enough boys to 
go around, of course, but we can all have a jolly talk, 
and I’m going to have a real party before you leave.” 

By this time the girls were on their way down¬ 
stairs. Philip was in the hall with some fresh roses 
just picked, which he proceeded to give to the girls, 
saving Lilian’s till the last. He was so evidently 
waiting for her that the other girls kept on, out upon 
the wide porch with its fine columns, while Philip 
drew Lilian into the library, and put the rose in her 
hair. “I want to show you the gem of our whole 
place,” said he; “Dad’s library.” Many, many times 
in days to come was Lillian to remember that cool, 
beautiful room, the quiet talk with Philip, the rose in 
her hair and the look in Philip’s eyes. 

They walked around looking at the books, then 
sat down on the window seat to talk, more about 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 35 

the music, of which they were both so fond, than of 
the books. 

“Your voice, Lilian, is wonderful. It has a qual¬ 
ity in it that holds your audience. You’ve felt it 
yourself, I suppose.” 

“I love it when I can hold them,” replied Lilian, 
“but I’m usually not thinking about them, only of 
what I’m singing.” 

“You ought to be studying with some big New 
York teacher. We have better teaching right here 
in America than they have in Europe, and have had 
for years, so my professor at school said.” 

“Oh, wouldn’t I love to study here!” 

“Are you going back to Greycliff after this year?” 

“I can’t tell. We all love Greycliff so, but Hilary 
thinks that her people may plan for her to go some¬ 
where else, and if our ‘quartette’ is broken up we 
may not be so crazy about staying. We are going 
to have this year together, anyhow.” 

“Campbell and I get through college this year. 
You remember what I said about the war—when we 
were in the pine grove at camp ?” 

“Yes, indeed,” said Lilian soberly. 

“Well, we have promised the folks to finish this 
year at college, if possible, or at least not to go with¬ 
out their consent if we do get into the war. And 
you will write all year to me, won’t you, as you 
promised ?” 

“Oh, yes.” 


36 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“There is such a lot of us that I thought I’d better 
make sure to remind you. And, Lilian, did you mind 
what I said about-” 

But Lilian did not hear the rest of this remark, 
for at this point Mrs. Van Buskirk entered the 
library and smilingly informed Philip that he would 
scarcely have time to reach the station before Robert 
Paget's train arrived. Philip looked at his watch. 

“You're right, Mother! Excuse me, Lilian. I’m 
trying to persuade Lilian that she ought to have her 
voice cultivated right here in New York,” and Philip 
dashed off. 

While Lilian and Mrs. Van Buskirk were chat¬ 
ting, Cathalina came in. 

“I’ve been seeing to the refreshments for tonight. 
Mother. I believe you will have to plan for the real 
party with the housekeeper.” 

“Very well. You want something more elaborate, 
I suppose.” 

“Oh, yes; just as elaborate as I can have it.” 

“Will it be very formal?” asked Lilian, who was 
thinking of her somewhat limited wardrobe. The 
girls had not taken much to camp except the regular 
camp attire. 

“Oh, no. The boys would hate it. It is too hot 
for dress suits. They can wear their white flannels 
or palm beach suits or anything they like. I’ll have 
Phil call up all the boys and tell them ‘informal/ 
There isn’t time to send written invitations ‘with 



GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


37 


propriety/ as Aunt Katherine says, and it will not 
be such a big party. But I want to have everybody 
that we are indebted to, if they are in town.” 

“What will the girls wear?” 

“Their thin silks or lace and net, or sheer cotton 
stuffs. Your pink organdy will be just the thing, or 
that little silk that }^ou sing in.” 

“I guess I’d better wear the organdy tonight and 
the silk frock at the party. How would that do, 
Mrs. Van Buskirk?” 

“Nicely, my dear. Anything that you have at 
school is quite suitable for all our occasions.” 

“How comfortable and dear your mother is, 
Cathalina,” said Lilian after Mrs. Van Buskirk had 
left the room. 

“Yes, isn’t she? And you ought to hear the 
things she says about you. I believe she likes you 
even better than Betty and Hilary, but I oughtn’t 
to say that. Her heart is big enough for our whole 
quartette. Come on, let’s get the other girls and 
see what flowers we can find for the rooms.” 

“Imagine your having such lovely roses at this 
time in the year. How do you manage it?” 

“They have special care, and some of them are 
from our little hothouse.” 

The four girls were still outdoors when Philip 
returned with Robert Paget, and turned to look, as 
“Pat,” back from Boston, took out two bags and a 
suitcase, and three young men stepped out of the car. 


38 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“Three” said Cathalina in surprise. “I wonder 
who the other one is. That is Robert in the light 
grey suit.” 

<r Why, that looks like Dick!” exclaimed Lilian. 

“It is Dick! How in the world did Dick-” 

Lilian started toward the house; then, recollecting 
that Dick was not the only young man there, drew 
back. The three young men did not see the girls 

and went up the steps and into the house. 

/ 

“Let’s go in and fix the flowers,” said Cathalina, 
“and by that time the boys will be downstairs, I 
think, and Mother will know about it at least.” 

Mrs. Van Buskirk met the girls in the hall. 
“Why, Lilian,” said she, “we have a great surprise 
for you.” 

“I saw him,” replied Lilian. “How did it 
happen ?” 

“He came to New York on business again, Phil 
said; did not know that you were here, and he and 
Robert Paget were on the same train. Phil saw 
him get off just in front of Robert and, as he said, 
‘nabbed him.’ ” 

“He and your father were here while we were 
in camp, weren’t they?” said Betty, recalling some 
news of Lilian’s. 

“Yes; for years one of Father’s old friends has 
been wanting to get him into a law firm here in 
New York, and now that Dick is starting Father is 
more interested, though he can’t bring himself to 



GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


39 


> 

leave the old town.” So Lilian explained to Mrs, 
Van Buskirk and the girls. “He always laughs 
and says ‘Better be a big toad in a small puddle than 
a little toad in a big puddle.’ ” 

“I believe your father would be a ‘big toad’ any¬ 
where,” said Mrs. Van Buskirk. “We enjoyed him 
so much that time he and Richard were out for 
dinner with us.” 

“Oh, wouldn’t it be lovely if your people would 
move to New York!” exclaimed Cathalina. “Why 
haven’t you said something about it before?” 

“I never thought of it, because Father never gave 
us any reason to think he would do it. And it didn’t 
occur to me till now that it might be the reason for 
this summer’s visits. But I feel sure—almost— 
that it must be now that Dick is here again. Per¬ 
haps he will come if Father does not.” 

“That makes another young man for tonight!” 
and Cathalina waved a hand full of flowers. “Is 
Dick engaged? Will he be bored at company?” 

“No, to both your questions. Dick likes a good 
time as well as anybody. Oh, there he is!” 

“Go on down and meet your sister,” said Philip 
from the landing, and Robert Paget, who was in 
the lead, stopped to let Richard North pass. Dick 
embraced his sister, and turned to greet Mrs. Van 
Buskirk. As by this time the others had reached 
the foot of the stairs, general introductions followed. 


40 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


CHAPTER IV 

THE HOUSE PARTY-CONTINUED 

Dinner had been concluded some time ago. The 
girls were settling themselves in the swing, or 
wicker chairs, near one corner of the veranda. 

“Lilian, you look like a rose in that pink organ¬ 
dy,” said Betty. 

“That’s sweet of you to say, Pansy Girl.” Betty 
had sometimes been called that since she had worn 
the pansy dress in the masquerade. “But you look 
more like forget-me-nots tonight in blue. And 
Cathalina is like a lily—lilies of the valley and Eng¬ 
lish violets.” 

“My white and coral are not much like violets,” 
said Cathalina. 

“Sweet peas, then. They have every color.” 

“What’s Hilary, if we must all be flowers?” 

“Oh, Hilary’s all the fresh spring flowers that 
we are glad to see in the spring, hyacinths and 
lilacs and syringas-” 

“Fresh! I like that.” 

“Don’t try to put a wrong construction on what 
I say. Heliotrope and mignonette, that is it.” 



GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


41 


“Nonsense,” said Hilary. “I’ll be a sturdy old 
red geranium that lasts all the year around, and 
even if you hang it up by the roots in the cellar it 
grows leaves and flowers the next year.” 

“All right, Hilary—our little red geranium!” 
The girls laughed at this nonsense and looked up 
in surprise to hear another laugh near by. Mr. Van 
Buskirk had come out on the porch and stood lean¬ 
ing against a pillar behind them. 

“If you want my opinion,” said he, “I should say 
that this is as pretty a cluster of roses as we ever 
had at this house, Hilary quite as blooming as the 
rest.” 

“We thank you,” said Betty, rising and curtsey¬ 
ing deeply, while the rest followed her example. 

“Are you expecting company soon?” inquired 
Mr. Van Buskirk. 

“We told them to come early,” said Cathalina. 
“I think I see Campbell and Emily now. Do we 
stay out here or go inside?” 

“Out here—why not?” said Philip appearing in 
the doorway and sauntering out toward them. 
“There come the Van Nesses. Come on out, Bob. 
Where’s Dick? Oh, here he comes,” added Philip, 
as the rapid toe-tapping of some one running down 
stairs was heard, and Richard North followed 
Robert and Philip. Mrs. Van Buskirk made her 
appearance before Campbell and Emily had reached 
the top of the steps. The guests arrived at very 


42 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


nearly the same time and were cordially greeted. 
Robert Paget had been there before and knew 
Philip’s relatives, but everybody had to be intro¬ 
duced to Richard North, as well as to his sister and 
Betty. Mr. and Mrs. Van Buskirk were particu¬ 
larly interested in meeting Captain Van Horne, of 
whom Cathalina had written. Who was this young 
man who had succeeded in making an impression 
on their little girl? He disclaimed the title of cap¬ 
tain as he was introduced, saying that it was only 
appropriate when he was a part of the military 
school organization, but the Greycliff girls con¬ 
tinued to address him as Captain Van Horne. 

Campbell’s sister Emily was glad to see Hilary 
again, and after a little chat with her, passed her 
over to Campbell, who, she guessed, was hoping to 
have a good visit with her. And as Cathalina was 
busy welcoming the different ones, Emily tried to 
make Captain Van Horne feel at home by chatting 
with him. It was like Emily, fine girl that she was, 
unconscious of herself and interested in every 
church and public or private enterprise to help 
others. Both were more mature than the rest of 
the young people. 

“And here’s my dear cousin Philip!” exclaimed 
Ann Maria, handing her wrap and scarf to one of 
the maids who had come out to assist at this in¬ 
formal affair, and then holding out both hands to 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


43 


Philip. “Come and give an account of yourself. 
I’ve scarcely seen you all summer.” 

“Naturally not, my dear young lady, when you 
have not been within calling distance. Come and 
meet our guests.” 

Ann Maria Van Ness was as straight as Aunt 
Katherine, who had brought her up—graceful, 
with an assured manner and a handsome, striking 
face. Her voice had a pleasant quality and her 
dress a style which made Hilary and Lilian feel 
countrified at once. She fairly took possession of 
Philip, and claimed considerable attention from the 
other young gentlemen, all without a single unlady¬ 
like act. 

Philip, upon request, brought out his guitar, and 
the young company sang the well known songs of 
the year. When they started the pretty and senti¬ 
mental song so familiar, then, among college stu¬ 
dents, “Why I Love You,” Lilian’s voice was so 
beautiful that all with one accord stopped singing 
and let Lilian’s soprano and Philip’s tenor finish the 
last two stanzas. But Ann Maria was fidgety and 
complained of mosquitoes. 

“All right; let’s go in, folks,” invited Philip. 
“Ann Maria, I want to hear your latest recital 
number.” 

Accordingly, all trooped into the large front 
room, where Ann Maria sat down at the piano, 
dashed off the latest popular tunes and finally en- 


44 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


tered the classical realm, playing a difficult composi¬ 
tion exceedingly well. 

“She can play well!” exclaimed Hilary, in sur¬ 
prise, to Campbell and Lilian, with whom she hap¬ 
pened to be grouped. Robert Paget was near, also, 
and replied, “Yes, but she can not equal Phil. Wait 
till I get the old boy started.” 

But it was not necessary for Robert to ask Philip. 
Ann Maria herself made the request, as she rose 
from the piano. “I have to get in my playing 
before Philly begins,” said his cousin. “Come and 
give us your latest composition.” 

Philip rather protested, saying, “It is not for the 
host to play; it is for the guests.” But, seeing they 
all wanted to hear him, he took his place at the baby 
grand, played the different compositions they asked 
for, then placed some music before him and beck¬ 
oned to Cathalina. After a few words with Philip, 
she went over to escort Lilian to the piano. Philip 
rose and said, “We promised several of the family 
that they shall hear you sing, Lilian. Will you 
please come now?” 

“Yes, indeed,” replied Lilian, “but when I think 
of the music you people can hear in this city, I do 
hesitate to sing for you.” 

“Oh, but we love your voice,” said Cathalina. 

Lilian had scarcely ever found it so hard to sing. 
She knew that there was at least one listener who 
was critical, and she felt her own youth and lack 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


45 


of training. But Lilian was always ready to help 
make the social machine run smoothly, and now 
moved to the piano with much grace and sweet¬ 
ness. In a few minutes she had forgotten herself 
in singing to Philip’s sympathetic and beautiful 
accompaniment, and felt that exaltation which 
often held her and her hearers as well. A murmur 
of appreciation greeted her at the end of the first 
song and they kept her singing for a while, Philip 
so happy and proud, and Mrs. Van Buskirk leaning 
forward to listen and watch the flushed face and 
rapt eyes of the young singer. 

Captain Van Horne managed to sit by Cathalina 
during the music, and in the intervals between 
numbers she entertained him by telling about the 
people present or their fun at camp, and asked him 
about his busy summer. 

“My ‘attic’ has been quite warm,” said he, “but 
I have studied and read in different cool spots, at¬ 
tended my law classes and have filled up my time 
in other ways.” 

Cathalina knew that he was doing something to 
help make his way, but she did not refer to that. 
She thought that he looked worn and wished that 
she might put a little cheer into his dull days. 
Cathalina was learning much sympathy, as she 
began to realize the responsibilities that some of her 
friends had to carry. The old self-centered little 


46 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


girl that knew nothing of life’s serious interests had 
long since disappeared. 

Richard North was becoming acquainted with 
pretty, plump, fair Louise Van Ness, with Emily, 
and, of course, with the vivacious Ann Maria. 

Nan Van Ness was the cousin of Cathalina’s age 
who used to copy Ann Maria, whom she greatly 
admired, as younger girls do admire the older ones 
sometimes. But Nan, now, had been away to school 
herself, and like Cathalina, had become interested 
in many things on her own account. She and Betty 
were having great fun with Lawrence Haverhill 
and Robert Paget. Rosalie Haverhill had not come. 

It was “a nice party,” as Lilian said to herself, 
and she wondered why she could not seem to enjoy 
it more, for Lilian was a gay-hearted girl, at the head 
of most of the fun among her chums at school. In her 
heart she knew that it was the relation of Ann 
Maria to Phil that troubled her. But she went 
right on, taking part in all the visiting and fun. By 
chance she was with Louise and Ann Maria when 
the cooling ices and pretty cakes and fresh fruit 
were served and Philip himself waited on both her 
and Ann Maria, with the same courtesy to both! 

“He is that way with all the girls,” she thought. 
“His attention to me hasn’t meant a thing. His 
'musical wife,’ indeed! Ann Maria plays, and I 
sing.” Lilian was thinking of Philip’s conversa¬ 
tion in the pine grove at camp, when he “seemed so 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


47 


serious/’ spoke of planning for a musical wife, and 
first asked her to write to him. And now jealousy 
whispered that it had not been earnest. All this 
ran through her mind while she talked to the girls, 
told of their most thrilling experiences in camp, 
and laughed with the rest. Ann Maria did not stay 
all night, as Cathalina had urged her to do. No, 
indeed. She handed her wraps to Philip to put on 
for her, and Philip took her home. To be sure, 
there were others in the car, Campbell, Emily, 
Louise and Nan, but Ann Maria sat in front with 
Phil, who drove. And Lilian did not know that 
Philip had asked his mother if he might not take 
Lilian, too. “You may, but it isn’t best,” Mrs. Van 
Buskirk had answered. “Since all the girls can’t 
go, you’d better not ask any of them.” 

The days were few for all the good times. There 
was so much of the city to be seen, lunches to be 
taken in odd places,drives here and there, an enter¬ 
tainment or two on Broadway, a dinner at the 
Stuarts’, and as a climax the “real party.” For 
this, each lass had a lad, each lad a lass to escort 
to the tables for the elaborate meal served by Watta 
and a capable group of waiters. As Mrs. Van Bus¬ 
kirk had decided that there would be time to issue 
invitations, they had been sent out to all the more 
intimate circle of Cathalina’s and Philip’s friends. 

Philip insisted that he was to have Lilian. Hilary, 
of course, was assigned to Campbell. Their friend- 


48 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


ship proceeded on its calm and apparently unsenti¬ 
mental way, but Campbell was there and with Hilary 
as much of the time as possible. There was quite a 
discussion between Cathalina and her mother about 
Captain Van Horne. 

“Now, Mother dear,” said Cathalina, “if Captain 
Van Horne is invited for Emily or Louise, he’ll have 
to go for her, send her flowers, I suppose, and he 
hasn’t any car, and I would be right here, and it 
would be all right if he did not think of flowers.” 

Her mother laughed. “You are greatly con¬ 
cerned, Cathalina.” 

“Indeed I am. I like him, though I like Robert 
Paget, too. But Captain Van Horne is older and 
I think it would be all right for him to take me out 
to supper, don’t you? He’s a teacher, too.” 

“How would you arrange it, then?” 

“Let Bob take Betty, or would it be better to 
have him take Ann Maria?” 

“Ann Maria would rather have one of our house 
guests, I think-” 

“Since she can’t have Phil,” finished Cathalina. 

“Don’t say that, Cathalina.” 

“All right, then; Bob for Ann Maria, and Dick 
for Louise. They can go for the girls together 
in our car. Lawrence Haverhill can have Betty. 
Oh, yes, I had forgotten; he asked Phil if he 
might not.” 

The girlish guests were quite excited when the 



GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


49 


fateful night arrived. Lovely bouquets had arrived 
for them. ‘‘Look at Cathalina!” said Betty. “With 
all the flowers she has, she is as excited as any of 
us over her roses.” 

“Well, who sent them?” asked Cathalina. 
“Wouldn’t you be excited if a distinguished officer 
in a military school sent you flowers?” 

“I am excited,” said Lilian, holding to view the 
most beautiful roses of all. “And I’m sure nobody 
could be more gifted than the young gentleman who 
sent these,” 

“Listen to ’em rave,” said Betty to Hilary in 
pitying tones. “I fancy I hear Lilian sing ‘I Dreamt 
That I Dwelt in Marble Halls.’ ” 

At this Lilian pretended to advance threateningly 
upon Betty, who fled behind Hilary. Hilary warded 
both off, and laughingly warned them that with 
their nonsense they might easily spoil all the 
bouquets. 

“Don’t worry, Hilary, none of us ever really do 
anything. We just threaten. I can’t bear any 
physical nonsense or tricks.” 

“Nor I, Lilian,” said Betty. 

This social occasion was a much happier one to 
Lilian than the first, for while Philip was the at¬ 
tentive and gallant host, each lady was provided 
with an especial escort, and he had at last an oppor¬ 
tunity to devote himself to Lilian. But Lilian was 
an uncertain quantity since she had observed Ann 


50 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


Maria with Philip. Her gay, though friendly, man¬ 
ner rather put a damper on any approach to the 
sentimental or serious, and she kept to the groups 
of young friends with whom they were surrounded. 
Mrs. Van Buskirk had engaged several professional 
musicians, in whose performance Lilian was espe¬ 
cially interested. “You have everything , Philip,” 
she said once, “and you ought to be thankful!” 

“I am,” said Philip, “but I haven’t everything I 
want. And sometimes I think I shall have to do 
without what I want most.” 

That speech troubled Lilian for a moment, but 
just at that point Ann Maria and Robert Paget 
came up, with Nan Van Ness and her escort, and 
Philip turned a smiling face upon Ann Maria, as 
he replied to one of her sallies. “I need not worry 
about him,” thought Lilian. 

As she and Hilary crept into bed late that night, 
too tired to sleep, she asked Hilary if Ann Maria 
were Cathalina’s first cousin. 

“Oh, no,” replied Hilary. “I believe her father 
was a first cousin of Mrs. Van Buskirk’s. Oh, 
Lilian, wasn’t it fine to have a maid pick up after 
you? I’m getting spoiled in the lap of luxury. It’s 
a good thing I’m leaving. How convenient for 
you, too, that your brother could stay. I believe 
he had a good time, and now he can take you 
home.” 

“Yes, we’ll have a good chat tomorrow on the 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


51 


train and I’ll have a better chance to find out what 
he and Father are going to do. Good night, 
Hilary.” 

“Not so very closely related. Then Phil could 
marry Ann Maria if he—they—wanted to.” 


52 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


CHAPTER V 

IN CLASSIC HALLS 

A third year at Greycliff begun! Could it be 
possible? Where had the time gone? When the 
girls thought of their studies, they realized that 
there had been hard work enough to account for 
time, but when they thought of their frolics! And 
now they were in the collegiate classes. After all 
it was jolly to be a junior collegiate at Greycliff 
instead of a college freshman somewhere else. The 
senior collegiates were paying them a great deal of 
attention because of the society “rushing” which 
began at once. Most of these girls in the upper 
class they knew very well, because they had been 
senior academy students when some of our Lake- 
view corridor girls first entered as juniors in the 
academy. 

Greycliff was as beautiful as ever, with its ivied 
buildings, velvet front campus, its “high hill” back 
of Greycliff Hall, its beaches, cliffs, windswept lake 
and tiny river. A new “Greycliff,” a larger launch 
than the one which had been wrecked the previous 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 53 

year, rocked on the water at the dock, to be raved 
over by the enthusiastic girls. 

“I’m glad they didn’t change the name, aren't: 
you?” observed Hilary. “It’s so appropriate.’* 

“1 don’t know but I’d rather have a new name. 
It’s hard for me to forget that time when we were 
all in the water, and afterward when we didn’t 
know whether Dorothy and Eloise would ever come 
to or not.” 

“Oh, that’s just nerves, Betty. You’ll be all right 
after your first ride in this one. Think of bobbing 
up and down on the lake once more! I made my¬ 
self get over it. It’s never going to happen again. 
I love the water and I’m going to be in it and on it 
as much as possible. Besides I’ve learned to swim 
so much better at camp this summer.” 

“Yes,” acknowledged Betty, “we feel perfectly 
at home in water now, and that would make a dif¬ 
ference even in a storm, I suppose.” 

“I don’t intend to lose what I’ve gained, either,” 
added Cathalina. “I don’t suppose I’ll ever have 
the endurance that some folks have, but I can keep 
active, and, as you say, Betty, be at home in the 
water. No matter how heavy my school work is, 
I’m going to keep in the swimming classes, either 
in the lake, river or pool, as they have them.” 

“Now, then,” said Lilian, “doesn’t Betty make a 
nice mummy? I’ve even put a pillow for her head.” 

“Look out, and don’t get any sand in my eyes,” 


54 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


said Betty, winking, as Lilian patted the sand around 
her slender figure. “Now you’ve gotten my sandal 
loose,” and the “mummy” wiggled her sandaled feet 
free from the sand coverlet and sprang up. “Come 
on; one more dive and then we’ll go up and get 
ready for the Psyche Club meeting.” 

The September day had been warm and ideal for 
beach parties and swimming. The sandy beach was 
well occupied by water sprites in bathing suits of 
different colors. Classes had closed earlier than 
usual that Friday afternoon, to let the girls take 
advantage of the unusually warm day so late in 
September. Miss Randolph herself, and most of 
the women teachers, were down, and were having a 
teachers’ beach party. But it was now almost time 
for dinner and some of the parties were beginning 
to break up. 

“If the teachers are having such a big beach 
party, the dinner will be light, I’m afraid,” said 
Lilian, as the girls went up to the hall. 

“You forget the men,” said Isabel Hunt, who 
had joined them. “They didn’t have any beach 
parties, and will be as hungry as we are. Trust the 
matron to remember that.” 

“Anyhow we are going to have eats at the Psyche 
Club. We have a birthday cake for Virgie, you 
know. You didn’t hint a word to her, did you, 
Isabel?” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


55 


“Not I, and she has forgotten that we said our 
first feast would be in her honor.” 

“Don’t be too sure of that. Remember, she said 
she never had a birthday celebrated in her life.” 

“Well, she thinks we have forgotten, then; no¬ 
body has said a word about her birthday.” 

“Yes, there has,” said Betty. “You know she 
came right on to Greycliffi from camp, and I asked 
her if they celebrated her birthday, on the first, you 
know, and she said that she hadn’t told anybody 
about it, so of course nobody did.” 

“Oh, they don’t celebrate birthdays at Greycliff!” 

“No, but there were several girls here the latter 
part of the summer, and I thought perhaps they had 
had some fun.” 

“Anyway, no one has called this a ‘feast,’ and I’m 
sure she can’t suspect about the cake.” 

“Let’s hope so.” 

“What else are you going to have ?” asked Isabel. 

“Sandwiches and lemonade,” replied Hilary. 
“They are going to let us have some ice. And we 
are going to have ice-cream delivered from Grey¬ 
cliff Village at exactly eight-thirty, and we have a 
*box of candy for Virgie. Cathalina had Philip 
send it. That’s all beside the cake. We have per¬ 
mission to stay up till ten o’clock if we are quiet.” 

“I think it would be fun if we all gave Virgie 
something.” 

“It might make her feel uncomfortable,” said 


m 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


sensible Hilary. “We did think of getting- some 
ten-cent store things, just for fun, but decided not 
to. Remember how dignified we are getting to be— 
collegiates!” 

“And we have a lot of business to transact, too. 
Aren’t we going to elect officers, and maybe a new 
member or two?” 

“I don’t know, Isabel. For my part I’d rather 
just have a social meeting. We might talk things 
over, of course.” 

“Oh, yes, Hilary,” said Betty; “let’s not have 
any business this time.” 

“Why bother to make any plans at all?” remarked 
Lilian; “no hurry about anything.” 

“True,” said Hilary; “but we’ve got to straighten 
up our little suite before dinner. It’s a sight. We’ve 
been letting things go all week in the excitement of 
getting started in classes and everything else. Be¬ 
sides we have forgotten how to live at Greycliff. 
First we had simple living and taking turns at the 
little bit we had to do at camp. Then we had lux¬ 
ury at Cathalina’s with nothing to do, and if the 
rest of you were like me at home you did little but 
scramble around for some school clothes to wear, 
and visit with your folks. I followed Mother 
around and helped a little, while we talked all the 
time—so much to tell about the whole summer, and 
so little time to tell it in. One morning it was too 
funny. We had a regular procession. The maid 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


57 


was away, and I wiped the dishes for Mother and 
talked, while Gordon, Tommy, June and Mary were 
all in the kitchen, listening and putting in a little 
occasionally, especially June about camp. Then, 
when we went in another room, they all followed, 
and when Mother and I went out into the yard to 
hang up a few towels to dry, Father saw us, coming 
out in line, and nearly perished with mirth.” 

“Imagine the dignified Dr. Lancaster’s ‘perishing 
with mirth’!” said Isabel. 

“That was poetic exaggeration,” admitted Hilary. 

After dinner and the usual stroll outdoors till 
darkness fell and the bell for study hours rang, the 
Psyche Club began to gather in the suite occupied 
by Cathalina and Betty, Hilary and Lilian, for there 
was the same arrangement which had been made 
the year before. Juliet Howe, Pauline Tracy, Eloise 
Winthrop and Helen Paget, also, were together. 
Isabel Hunt and Avalon Moore had moved into a 
suite with Virginia Hope and Olivia Holmes, but 
Isabel and Virginia roomed together, and Avalon 
was with Olivia. Whether Virginia and Olivia 
should now be taken into the Psyche Club was a 
question to be settled. Evelyn Calvert, who had 
been with the girls at camp, was invited to this 
gathering, but Helen Paget was to go after her, and 
Isabel was to bring the other girls at the proper 
time. 

“Are we all here?” asked Hilary at last. “Let’s 


58 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


have a brief business meeting and get the elections 
over. What do you say, girls?” 

“All right,” came from various quarters, and the 
president tapped for order. 

“Has the nominating committee a report?” 

“Yes, Madam President,” replied Isabel, its chair¬ 
man. “We offer the names of Cathalina Van Bus- 
kirk for president and Lilian North for secretary 
and treasurer.” 

“How shall we elect the officers? Are there any 
other names suggested? Sit down, Cathalina and 
Lilian. Nobody can refuse an office in the Psyche 
Club except when in—incapacitated!” 

“I move that we elect by acclamation.” 

“Is this motion seconded?” 

“I second the motion.” 

“It has been moved and seconded that Cathalina 
and Lilian be president and secretary, respectively. 
Any remarks? If any one has anything to say let 
him say it now or else forever after hold his peace! 
—except Cathalina or Lilian; they can’t say any¬ 
thing till afterward.” 

The girls were all laughing at this high-handed 
proceeding. 

“All in favor say ‘Aye!’ ” A chorus of “Ayes” 
responded. 

“All opposed, ‘No.’ ” Silence. 

“Cathalina and Lilian are unanimously elected.” 

“We will now regard the place where Cathalina 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


59 


is as the ‘chair.’ My place is too comfortable to give 
to anybody.” 

Cathalina gave smiling thanks to the girl for her 
“high honor,” and suggested that remarks about 
election of members were in order if some one 
would make a motion. 

“I move, Madam President, that, considering our 
experience last year, we do not elect any members 
until their sentiments toward the Psyche Club be 
sounded out.” 

“Hear, hear!” said Eloise. “I think that Isabel's 
idea is good. Do you remember how we felt when 
Dorothy and Jane refused?” 

“There were special influences there, and we 
might have known!” 

“That’s so, Lilian. Did we ever tell you how we 
appreciated your being the victim?” 

“Oh, I didn’t mind asking them, and I tried to 
take it gracefully. Shall we try to get them this 
year?” 

“I was sure they hated to refuse, so let’s wait and 
see if they are as intimate with that other crowd as 
they were last year. And when the invitations are 
out for the collegiate literary societies it may make 
a difference, too.” 

“How about Virginia and Olivia and Evelyn? I 
think it would be lovely to invite them tonight if we 
are going to do it.” 

“Does anybody know how they feel about it?” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“I should say we do!” said Isabel and Avalon in 
one breath. “Of course they haven't said a thing 
about it, but we can tell by looks and little remarks 
about the pins or compliments to you girls that they 
would be tickled to death if we asked ’em.” This 
was Isabel who spoke. “Pm sure that we’ll be proud 
to have Virginia wear our pin, and while Olivia isn’t 
quite so good a student, she is a sweet, generous 
girl. Is there anybody that doesn’t like her?” Isabel 
looked around the circle, while the girls shook their 
heads. 

“This is all out of order, girls,” said the new 
president. “There is no motion before the house! 
And Isabel’s motion, which was not seconded, was 
negative so I can’t put it.” 

“I move, Madam President,” said Isabel, very 
formally, “that we elect the guests who are coming 
tonight.” 

“I second the motion.” 

Cathalina put the motion and it was carried, the 
girls mentioning the names of Olivia, Virginia, and 
Evelyn Calvert. “Go for them, girls,” said Catha¬ 
lina, “and spread the feast. Won’t it be fun ?” 

“Hurry up, Hilary, and get the cake out in the 
middle of the table. Where are the candles?” 

“In it, Betty. Isn’t it a beauty? Virginia’s name 
in red cinnamon drops just like the kiddies at 
camp!” The sandwiches were set out, the ice fixed 
in the lemonade, and by that time the guests were 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 61 

heard coming down the hall and excited voices drew 
nearer. 

“Who do you suppose is here?” cried Isabel, 
leading the way, and ushering in Diane Percy, while 
the other guests, all smiles, waited in the doorway. 

“Diane!” 

“Diane!” 

“The other sweet P!” 

“Why, Diane! You never told me you were 
coming!” cried Helen Paget. “My darling ‘Imp’!” 

Virginia and Olivia were the only ones who would 
not have understood who Diane was, and it had 
been explained to them on the way, as with Isabel 
they had met Evelyn, Diane and Pauline. They 
were much amused to hear that Diane and Helen 
had been dubbed the “Imps” by some offended col- 
legiates in their first year at Greycliff and had also 
been known as the sweet P’s—Percy and Paget. 

After Diane had been duly embraced and wel¬ 
comed, Cathalina called the girls to order for a 
moment and they dropped where they were, either 
into chairs or on the floor. Cathalina had had a 
brilliant thought, and explaining that she had a 
Psyche Club message to deliver which would not be 
a secret but for a few moments, she called Betty to 
her, whispered a moment, something which made 
Betty laugh and wave her hand in approval. Betty 
then made the rounds of the members, whispered a 
question, which was answered in every case with a 


62 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


fervent “Yes, indeed!” and returned to Cathalina 
with the report, announced publicly: “Your ques¬ 
tion, O most worthy President, is answered in the 
affirmative by every member of the club.” 

“So be it,” said Cathalina. “Dear guests of the 
Psyche Club, a short time before you were sum¬ 
moned a motion was presented and passed electing 
our guests to membership in the Psyche Club. I 
have the honor, then, to ask Miss Olivia Holmes, 
Miss Virginia Hope, Miss Evelyn Calvert and Miss 
Diane Percy if they will join us.” 

The girls enjoyed the surprised and happy ex¬ 
pressions of Virgie and Olivia. Diane had not 
heard of the Psyche Club, but rose and said, “What¬ 
ever that club may be, beloved sisters, I am yours. 
Oh, isn’t this fun? Girls, I don’t see how I stood 
it not to come back last year!” 

Evelyn told the girls that she had been aching 
for one of the butterfly pins, to say nothing of the 
honor of belonging to the club. Virgie and Olivia 
expressed their pleasure in a modest way, and Ca¬ 
thalina rapped for order again. 

“There is one more happy event which I have the 
pleasure to announce. Part, indeed a great part, 
of this celebration is in honor of the birthday of one 
of our number.” Here the guests were wondering 
whose it was. “The day itself is past, but we were 
not here to celebrate it, so we are having a little 
spread in honor of Miss Virginia Hope. Minions, 


GKEYCLIFF HEROINES 


63 


bring forward the banquet table!” Hilary and 
Betty were the minions who carried the table from 
behind a screen to the middle of the floor. 

Virginia blushed deeply and stood dumbly while 
this was done, then lit the tapers as she was told. 
The girls joined hands and sang the camp birthday 
song as they circled around Virgie and the birthday 
cake. “Oh, it’s perfectly lovely of you! I’ll never 
get over it!” Isabel pretended to support her when 
the box of candy was presented by Lilian, and then 
the girls settled down to the joys of eating and 
talking, both of which they seemed to be able to do 
at the same time. 

Eloise looked a bit sober. Lilian said afterward 
that she thought she saw tears in her eyes, and won¬ 
dered why. But she soon brightened up and took 
her plate over close to Diane, where she sat down. 
As soon as she had opportunity, she said to Diane, 
“You used to room with Helen, you know, and f 
have been waiting to get a chance to tell you that 
I’ll not stand in your way. I’m sure that Miss Ran¬ 
dolph can arrange something for me, and you can 
have your place with Helen back. I suppose we 
can’t do it tonight, but just as soon as it can be 
arranged.” 

“Aren’t you a dear!” exclaimed Diane. “It is 
just like you, Eloise, but I wouldn’t think of letting 
you do it. It is all arranged, my dear girl. My 
trunk was just brought up to Evelyn’s room tonight. 


64 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


She and I, with Dorothy Appleton and Jane Mills, 
have a suite together.” 

“Dorothy Appleton and Jane Mills!” exclaimed 
Eloise. 

“Why do you exclaim over that?” 

“Nothing, only—I’ll tell you some time. They 
are fine girls—and, Diane, it is lovely of you to let 
me stay with Helen.” 

“I wanted to surprise Helen, so I did not write 
to anybody except to Evelyn after Miss Randolph 
suggested this arrangement. I’ve known Evelyn for 
a long time, though we were not very chummy that 
first year, and we shall be as happy as can be. You 
see I did not know whether I could come this year 
or not, and did not dare make arrangements till I 
was sure.” 

Diane told Helen and some of the other girls 
about Eloise’s intended sacrifice, and Cathalina hap¬ 
pened to repeat the story to Miss Randolph in one 
of her talks with her; for Miss Randolph never for¬ 
got to have an occasional visit with the niece of her 
firm friend, Katherine Knickerbocker. Not long 
afterward, Miss Randolph gave her first monthly 
address to the girls in the chapel. She had chosen 
as her subject “Heroines,” and in the course of her 
remarks referred to a girl who was willing to give 
up her cherished place in one of the best suites in 
school for the happiness, as she thought, of two 
friends. “A girl who does any act, great or 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


65 


simple, which requires courage and unselfishness, 
physical or spiritual, is a heroine. We want our 
girls to get so into the habit of doing the brave, 
noble thing, and of making the higher choice, that 
nothing else will ever occur to them. We want to 
train heroines in Greycliff!” 


66 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


CHAPTER VI 

A LITTLE ^RUSHING" 

“Mercy sakes!” exclaimed Lilian, putting her 
books upon the table and inviting Isabel and Pau¬ 
line to take seats by a wave of her hand. Cathalina, 
Betty, Hilary, Olivia and Eloise entered at the same 
time. 

“Here’s Cathalina wanting me to take a duty in 
the Latin Club,” continued Lilian, “Hilary rooting 
for the French Club, Isabel for the Dramatic Club, 
everybody for the Collegiate Glee Club, to say noth¬ 
ing of the collegiate orchestra and the literary socie¬ 
ties, if we get invited. I see what is ahead of me. 
When I am going to get time for mere studies is a 
question!” 

“Nonsense, Lilian,” said Pauline, “you don’t 
have to prepare much for these clubs. The glee 
club practice and the different meetings only come 
at times when we’d be visiting or fooling around 
outdoors. The glee club will be adorable, and the 
girls always give one concert at Greycliff Village, 
and perhaps we are going to the military school this 
year, and to Highlands, too.” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


G7 


“Listen!” said Lilian. “I have two hours of 
practice every day, two lessons in voice a week, and 
one in violin.” 

“So have I,” said Eloise, “only it is piano in¬ 
stead of violin.” 

Lilian went on without paying any attention to 
the remark of Eloise. “I have three hours of reci¬ 
tation on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, two 
hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Lab. on Satur¬ 
days, beside swimming, riding and any other ath¬ 
letics in which I may wish to indulge.” 

“You need a printed schedule, Lilian, worked out 
to every five minutes of your time,” said Isabel. 

“Worked out to seconds,” insisted Lillian. “I’ll 
have to take my books to the table.” 

“And what would Miss Randolph do to you?” 

“Indeed, what wouldn’t she?” 

“Oh, Lilian, you are just having the usual brain¬ 
storm that girls have when they think of their work 
all together. I have one every fall, regularly,” said 
Hilary. “You’ll work it out. Put the work on your 
lessons first, and if you have to neglect anything, 
miss an occasional practice hour or one of the soci¬ 
ety meetings, or some of the athletics. I’m not 
going to play basketball this year.” 

“Oh, Hilary!” came in dismay from Pauline. 
“When we have so good a chance to beat the acad¬ 
emy with you in the team these two years!” 


68 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“Well, I’ll see. I haven’t decided surely, but it 
does not look as if I’d have time.” 

“How do you work out a schedule ?” asked Olivia. 
“You girls always seem to get along so well, and 
last year I’d forget and get behind.” 

“Take Lil’s work, for instance,” said Hilary. 
“Monday’s lessons have to be attended to on the 
week end. I usually get in a little work on Friday 
afternoon, sometimes study a while before society 
meeting that evening. Saturday isn’t a very suc¬ 
cessful day in lessons. You always think that you 
will get so much done, but there are things about 
your room and clothes to see to. I always ‘mend 
and things’ on Saturday, as Jane says. But there 
is some time, and study hours in the evening. Sun¬ 
day I absolutely rest, and visit, in the afternoon, 
and write letters home. Then I get up early on 
Monday, look over lessons and get in what study 
I can in between classes. Probably Lilian can get 
ahead a little on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Her 
Monday evening will account for the two recitations 
of Tuesday, and so will the Wednesday evening take 
care of Thursday. I try to read ahead in the lan¬ 
guage courses whenever I have the next day’s lessons 
prepared, so that I’m not rushed to death at the end 
of the week.” 

“Don’t you ever study a bit on Sunday?” 

“Not a bit, Olivia, and I get along all the better. 
Miss Randolph doesn’t want us to, any more than 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


69 


Father and Mother at home, and I’m always thank¬ 
ful that there is one day when I don’t feel I ought 
to be studying every minute!” 

"I never feel that way,” laughed Olivia. 

“But Sunday is always a busy day at home with 
church doings, and I used to feel a lot of responsi¬ 
bility. That is why they sent me away to school, 
so I’d have a chance like other girls. I liked it, 
though.” 

“Will you help me make out a schedule, Hilary?*’ 
asked Olivia. 

“Indeed I will. Just go and get your list of studies 
and we’ll do it now.” 

“I can just see Hilary, the handsome, grey-eyed, 
brilliant Hilary, as the future instructor of youth— 
can’t you?” said Pauline, her own grey eyes shining 
affectionately upon Hilary as she pushed back her 
black locks and settled her plump self more comfort¬ 
ably in her chair. 

“I could,” replied Lilian, “if there were not other 
indications.” 

“Oh, yes!” said Pauline; “that mysterious Eastern 
youth of whom we have had an inkling. But Hilary 
distinctly said in her first year at Greycliff that she 
did not think of marrying. And, speaking of mar¬ 
riage, I wonder when Dr. Norris and Miss West 
are going to be married.” 

“By the way, Lilian,” said Cathalina, “the reason 
I want you girls to help in the next Latin Club pro- 


70 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


gram is that Patty has to get it up and said she 
wished we would help her.” 

“That changes it,” said Lilian promptly. “Of 
course I’ll help.” 

“The time till Christmas is always the hardest,” 
said Cathalina, “because the studies are new, I guess, 
and there is so much to start. I’m doubling on Latin 
again, Vergil to Patty and De Senectute, as you 
know, to Dr. Carver. But I’m beginning to get the 
hang of Latin poetry and can find the adjective six 
or seven lines away from the noun, or the verb any 
old place, just as easily as putting together a puzzle. 
And I’d love Cicero’s essay, if it were not for Dr. 
Carver.” 

“We’ll all be together at last in her class,” said 
Hilary. 

“Lovely thought,” said Isabel. “Oh, to be a junior 
collegiate and sit with the rest of you before the 
gentle Dr. Carver! Honestly, though, I’m just be¬ 
ginning to think how awful it will be here when you 
girls are through. Maybe I won’t stay.” 

“Don’t think about it yet, Isabel, we’re here still.” 

“The collegiate society invitations are to be out 
today or tomorrow, they say,” said Pauline. 

“They will be soon, I ni sure, for the dear senior 
girls have just been living here for the last few 
days.” 

“Not quite that, Lilian,” said Betty. 

“Almost. In fact, this is the longest time outside 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


71 


of study hours that I’ve been in the suite without at 
least one of them. There! That is probably one of 
them now.” 

But it was only Juliet, who was lonesome in her 
suite and came to see where her girls were, this, nat¬ 
urally, being the first place to be thought of. “What 
is this?” she asked. “Anything special?” 

“No,” replied Eloise. “We’re just visiting. 
Where’s Helen?” 

“Around somewhere with Diane and Evelyn, or 
was when I came upstairs.” 

“We were just talking about the senior-junior 
societies and the rushing,” said Betty. 

“It is too killing for words,” 

“Oh, don’t say that. It is very flattering when 
they want you. I don’t think that the girls are 
hypocritical, as Jane Mills says. They really want 
you to join their particular society, and if they rather 
overdo the attentions it is real pleasant anyway.” 

“Wait till some of them won’t speak to you if you 
join the other society,” said Isabel. 

“How do you know that?” inquired Betty. 

“Watched ’em last year and year before. I be¬ 
lieve that each girl in a society thinks the girls in 
the rival societies will scarcely get into heaven!” 

“Oh, Isabel!” 

“I’ll probably feel that way, too, if I ever get into 
one. Whatever one you girls go into I’m going to 
join, if I get a chance when I’m a junior collegiate!” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“Wouldn’t it be dreadful if some of us would be 
invited for one and some for the other!” 

“Why, then we needn’t join any!” 

“That wouldn’t do, I’m afraid,” said Hilary; “but 
what do you think about not worrying till the time 
comes ?” 

“Sensible idea,” said Juliet. 

At that point in the conversation there came a 
knock upon the door. It was one of the senior girls, 
and Lilian gave a little glance at Hilary, as if to say, 
“You see that we are not left alone long.” 

The visitor gave a comprehensive glance around 
the room to see who were there and said, “This is 
good—I’m saved a visit to your suite, girls, and you 
can tell Helen Paget for me. Why, we—some of 
us are having a little get-acquainted party tonight 
and are inviting some of the junior collegiates to 
come. We have permission, and the party will begin 
at eight-thirty. You will all come, won’t you?” 

“That is lovely of you,” said Cathalina; “is it in 
your suite?” 

“Oh, yes—silly of me not to say. Be sure to 
come.” 

“Can’t you sit down and visit a while?” asked 
Lilian, naughty girl that she was. 

“I can’t this time, but I may drop in later in the 
ilay,” and the visitor departed. 

“She is really a dear,” said Cathalina, “but I think 
she was a little embarrassed.” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


73 


“They ought to have sent that friend of Myrtle’s. 
She wouldn’t have been embarrassed and would have 
had a separate and definite acceptance from every 
one of you before she thought of leaving.” So said 
Isabel. 

“Oh, does that girl belong to this society?” 

“The same.” 

“Mercy, what a drawback!” 

“But she’s a g-r-e-a-t worker for her society.” 

“What are we going to do, girls? Won’t it seem 
like pledging ourselves if we go to this feast?” 

“Better not go, unless you really like this crowd 
best,” said Isabel. 

And Isabel had scarcely ceased speaking when two 
more visitors arrived. But the girls adopted a dif¬ 
ferent plan of action. After greeting these girls, 
and pretty, bright girls they were, the girls kept 
chatting as if they were entertaining each other and 
the visitors, and the latter had no chance to deliver 
the invitation with which they, too, had come, until 
as they left they drew Cathalina and Hilary to the 
door and gave an invitation similar to the one which 
the girls had had before. 

“What did you say, Cathalina? Did they insist 
on an acceptance?” 

“I think that they knew we had had the other 
invitation, and they urged us a lot to come, but they 
did not insist on our saying we would. We thanked 
them and said we would let them know before eve- 


74 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


ning. I guess we’ll have to decide where we are 
going now, unless we go to both parties for a short 
time. ,, 

“Wouldn’t that be a joke?—but it wouldn’t do, 
and we must decide. But it is a funny thing to do 
before the invitations are out,” said Hilary. 

“I think that the first party was arranged to get 
you acquainted with their girls and half bound to 
join, and then the others found it out and arranged 
a party, too.” 

“It is very flattering, Isabel, and looks as if we 
were being considered by both societies.” 

“Dear me, Cathalina, this isn’t the first that you 
have noticed that, I hope. Olivia, do you suppose 
any glory will reach us from being associated with 
such popular companions?” 

“I don’t know. I feel terribly left out not to be 
in the same literary society with them. And look 
at the party that we are going to miss!” 

Hilary, who had begun to look over Olivia’s list 
and to consider a schedule of recitations and study 
hours, looked up to say that while she was busy the 
other girls ought to think out what to do about the 
invitations. Betty pretended to tear her hair. The 
starry-eyed Eloise struck an attitude and stared into 
the distance with a fixed gaze. Juliet put her elbows 
on the table, rested her head on her fists and closed 
her eyes. Pauline in tragic tones cried, “Send for 
Helen, Evelyn and Diane!” Cathalina did nothing 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


75 


but laugh at the other girls, and Isabel volunteered 
to go for the missing girls. 

“That isn’t a bad idea, a full council of war, be¬ 
cause it makes more difference, our being separated, 
though of course there are lovely girls in both socie¬ 
ties,” said Cathalina. “We may feel as Isabel says 
we shall after we are in the societies, but I hope we 
shall not lose all our common sense.” 

When the three girls arrived, Betty with pencil 
and paper went the rounds, asking each girl two 
questions, “Which society do you prefer?” and 
“Which society has been rushing you?” Of Diane, 
Evelyn and Helen, who had been absent when the 
invitations were delivered, given, indeed, only to the 
members of the two suites, Betty asked, “Have the 
girls of either society asked you to a feast?” 

“Helen is included with us,” said Eloise. 

“That is so. How about you and Diane, Evelyn, 
and Dorothy and Jane?” 

“We all were invited to a party tonight by some 
of the Whittier society.” 

“Hurrah,” said Betty, “that settles it! Which 
tried first to get us to commit ourselves ?—the Emer¬ 
son crowd. The Whittiers just asked us in self- 
defense. Listen!” Betty read the names of the girls 
and the answers to the questions. Several had no 
preference. Those who had expressed themselves 
were for the Whittier society. 

“But what shall we do about the parties ?” asked 


76 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


Hilary, handing over a completed schedule to the 
grateful Olivia. “We were asked first to the Emer- 
son party. I don’t see that we can go to either.” 

“If we don’t go to either, they may both be dis¬ 
gusted with us and not send invitations to any of 
us,” said Diane. 

“All right; let ’em,” said Betty. 

“The lady or the tiger?” said Isabel. 

“We might send a nice little note to each, saying 
that we were embarrassed by having two invitations 
for the same time, and that in view of the circum¬ 
stances, it seemed best not to accept either—some¬ 
thing like that—although we appreciated being 
asked, and knew what a good time we should have.” 
This was Pauline’s suggestion. 

“Polly, that wouldn’t do at all. In fact I don’t 
see what on earth we can do !” This was Eloise. 
“Cathalina, appeal to Miss Randolph.” 

“No, don’t bother her with it!” exclaimed Juliet. 
“We ought to work it out ourselves. I have it— 
have Patty call a meeting of the Latin Club. There’s 
the dinner bell! What are we going to do?” 

“What is the reason you can’t accept your first 
invitation? That would be considered fair,” said 
Olivia. 

“Don’t you see, Olivia? If we go, they will con¬ 
sider that we are pledged to them, or at least it will 
make it very awkward, after accepting their hospi¬ 
tality and all.” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


77 


“Whatever we do has to be decided on right after 
dinner. Everybody think it over, please/’ said Betty. 
“There’s no hope in Patty, because there never would 
be a Latin Club meeting at that time.” 

What the girls would have done will never be 
known, for the matter was settled for them in an un¬ 
expected way by Miss Randolph herself. At the 
close of dinner she rose and announced a practice 
of the Collegiate Glee Club from eight-thirty to nine- 
thirty. “This will shorten your study hours/’ said 
she, “but was made necessary by some arrangements 
of your leader. I am sorry that it will interfere with 
some social matters about which I was asked, but 
they can be held just as well on tomorrow night, and 
the glee club meeting tonight is important.” 

Not a glance was exchanged among our girls, and 
it was the prospective hostesses that came to them, 
expressing their regrets at having their plans upset. 
Not a word of extending the invitations until the 
next night. 

“There won’t be any feasts until they celebrate 
with the people who accept their invitations,” said 
Isabel later. 

“I’m so relieved!” exclaimed Cathalina. “Some¬ 
way, I hate anything uncomfortable, and they all 
have been so kind. So far as I am concerned, I 
think it’s very good of them to want me, and if we 
can get through this time without offending any of 
the girs I think it is much better.” 


78 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


^ “f • • • 

“One thing was funny about it,” said Isabel, “Miss 
Randolph’s saying that the ‘social affairs’ could be 
held just as well tomorrow night. Little did she 
realize the importance of having them the night be¬ 
fore the invitations came out.” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


79 


CHAPTER VII 

DECISIONS AND LETTERS 

The Glee Club practice was a great success. 
Voices had been “tried out” previously, and the girls 
whose singing was up to the requirement were happy, 
beginning to look forward to the trips which they 
hoped to have. 

“Personally,” said Hilary, “I think that the trip to 
Grant Academy is a myth. There hasn't been any 
since Iv’e been here, and I haven’t any idea that Miss 
Randolph will let us go. Of course, we could give 
a little entertainment at one of the churches in Grey- 
cliff Village.” 

“I forgot to tell you what Miss Randolph said to 
me,” said Cathalina. “I went in to see if she thought 
I’d better go into the Glee Club, and she said she 
thought I’d enjoy it. I asked her if we were to have 
any trips and she smiled as if she had been asked 
that before! Then she said that she thought we 
should have a big concert here and invite the acad¬ 
emy boys and teachers over, also the Greycliff Vil¬ 
lage people. ,We’d charge a small admission fee.” 


80 GREYCLIFF HEROINES 

“I thought that she wouldn’t want us to go there,” 
said Betty. 

“Why not?” asked Avalon. 

“Oh, just the idea of girls going to give an enter¬ 
tainment in a boys’ school. But we are going to the 
military reception, I guess. That is different. We 
are their guests and will be chaperoned properly by 
our dear teachers, you know.” 

“I can’t see the difference,” said Avalon. “We’d 
be chaperoned all right if we gave our entertain¬ 
ment.” 

“Surely we would. Oh, I don’t know why it is 
different, but it is.” 

Society lines were forgotten as the notes of the 
first chorus filled the chapel where they practiced 
this time. The sopranos reached their high notes 
successfully, and the altos came in at the proper 
place. Opponents in the Emerson and Whittier so¬ 
cieties sang peacefully from the same sheet of music. 
And on the morrow there were deilvered to sundry 
suites and various individuals the senior society 
invitations! 

The girls were almost afraid to inquire about 
whether their friends had received invitations or 
not. There was little said publicly, but much dis¬ 
cussion in private in regard to what action to take, 
and on the part of those who had received two invi¬ 
tations, which of the two rival societies to choose. 

There was a solemn conclave in the suite where 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


81 


Cathalina sat considering, with two invitations on 
her lap, and the other suite-mates, similarly engaged, 
were in different parts of the room. Hilary was in 
the window seat looking out of the window and was 
just remarking that she did not want to decide finally 
till she heard about some of the other girls, when 
Eloise came in and said, “What are you girls going 
to do about the societies ?” 

“Just thinking it over, Eloise,replied Lilian. 
“What invitations did you girls receive ?” 

“Helen and I got both of them, but Pauline and 
Juliet only had invitations from the Whittiers. It 
was funny, because they invited us all to their party, 
you know.” 

“You never can tell why girls do things, or don’t 
do ’em,” remarked Betty. 

“Why, Betty, how can you so malign your sex!” 

“ ‘Varium et mutabile semper femina,’ ” quoted 
Hilary. “But Vergil must have had some unfortu- 
nate love affair if he thought woman a ‘fickle and 
changeable thing.’ ” 

“Women do change their minds,” said Betty, “but 
that is much better when you find you were wrong 
than to stick to your old first opinion, right or wrong. 
Mother had a funny experience with a dentist who 
wanted to pull a tooth which she wanted to save. 
She had him almost persuaded, she thought, but he 
said, ‘You wouldn’t want me to go back on what I 
said I wouldn’t do, would you?’ ‘Not for the world,* 


82 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


said she, and went to another dentist who saved the 
tooth all right.” 

“Do you consider him an example of his sex?” 
said Lilian with a laugh. 

“No, not really, I guess. Still, I don’t know but 
you’d find as many stubborn men as fickle women.” 

“ I don’t think you can put them all in a class like 
that,” observed Eloise. “I know stubborn girls and 
fickle boys.” 

“Let’s hurry up and decide on the society affairs, 
and leave our wise considerations about the human 
race till another time.” 

“All right, Hilary,” said Betty. “Do you know, 
Eloise, about Evelyn and Diane?” 

“Helen has just gone down to see what happened 
there. I think she’ll be back in a minute.” 

“All of us were invited by the Whittiers,” said 
Hilary. “I like them best, anyhow.” 

“There’s Helen now, I think,” said Eloise. 
‘“Come in.” 

Helen and Diane entered. “Having a debate?” 
asked Diane. 

“Not much of a debate. We were wondering how 
it was with your suite.” 

“The funniest thing—Dorothy and Jane are in¬ 
vited by the Emersons and not by the Whittiers, and 
Evelyn and I by the Whittiers and not by the Emer¬ 
sons. So that splits us up.” 

“Again I remark that we all are invited by the 


GKEYCLIFF HEROINES 


83 


Whittiers, and that I like them the best/’ said Hilary. 

“The respective merits of the two societies do not 
seem to have much to do with our decision, do they ?” 
contributed Lilian. 

“No, Lilian,” replied Hilary, “for the very good 
reason that both societies do good work in a literary 
way, have good programs and work hard on the an¬ 
nual debate. I always thought that the Whittiers 
have a more solid class of girls as a rule. The Emer¬ 
sons take in a lot of social butterflies-” 

“Be careful how you say ‘butterflies/ Hilary. Re¬ 
member the Psyche Club!” 

“That's a different kind of butterfly, Betty. But 
I was going to say that they have a larger number 
always and probably average up with as much real 
talent. So the main thing to me is to be»with you 
girls. If there is any rivalry, I want to be on the 
same side as the rest of you.” 

“We'll get along all right with Dorothy and Jane 
—we’ll just leave society discussions out!” 

“Oh, yes, Diane; it isn’t so terribly important, 
after all.” 

The girls of the two suites, then, with Diane and 
Evelyn, were among those who decided on the Whit¬ 
tier Society. Their acceptances were received with 
great joy, there was much coming and going of sen¬ 
ior collegiate girls, and great plans were made for the 
initiation. It was all very different from the start¬ 
ing of the Shakespearean Society in the academy the 



84 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


year before. Now they were among the older girls 
of the school, intimates of the senior collegiates, put¬ 
ting up their hair and wearing the same styles! And 
on the day of the society decision, Cathalina received 
two interesting letters, one on the Grant Academy 
stationery and the other, big and fat, inscribed in a 
dashing masculine hand. They came on the after¬ 
noon mail, which the girls received too late to read 
before they made ready for dinner, and after that 
meal there was great silence and reading of letters 
in the suite. 

“If I had known what mail awaited little me,” 
said Cathalina, “I would not have been able to stay 
away so long before dinner.” 

“But we had such a good time on the beach,” said 
Betty, opening her second letter. “I’m dying to 
know from whom that fattest letter came.” 

“So am I,” added Lilian, mischievously. “I don’t 
seem to recognize the handwriting.” 

Cathalina’s mouth curved into a smile as she read 
on. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you,” said she. “There 
is no secret. I didn’t recognize the writing, either, 
though I’ve seen it often enough.” 

“I know who it is, then,” said Betty—“Bob Paget, 
because he would write to Phil.” 

“Go to the head, Betty. It’s Bob; such a nice, 
friendly letter! And he is telling me all about their 
doings at college, things I can’t pry out of Phil!” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


85 


'‘Isn’t it funny about brothers?” remarked Betty, 
not expecting a reply. 

“They won’t take time to write you in detail,” 
said Lilian, “and when you are with them at home it 
is old to them. But we used to hear some good tales 
from Dick.” 

“Yes, we do, too,” acknowledged Cathalina, “but 
Phil never took the pains to write me a long letter 
like this.” 

“Of course not,” said Betty. “But look at that 
long one that Lilian has. I’m perfectly sure that it 
is from Mr. Philip Van Buskirk, Junior.” 

Lilian began on another sheet, putting out her 
hand in protest at Betty. 

“Shh-sh, girls,” immediately said Betty; “it’s get¬ 
ting serious. She can’t be interrupted!” 

“You crazy Betty,” exclaimed Lilian, turning a 
laughing face on the girls. “Hilary, come to the 
rescue!” But Hilary was deep in a letter of her own 
and looked up upon hearing her name with such a 
dazed expression that Cathalina and Betty were all 
the more amused. 

“Can’t you see, Lilian, that Hilary doesn’t even 
know what we are talking about. She is back on 
the shores of the blue Kennebec with Campbell. 
Probably the boys all decided to get their letters 
written up and went at it at the same time.” 

“That was it,” said Cathalina. “I can just see 
Bob coming in and hear him say, ‘Writing letters 


86 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


to the girls, boys? I’ll have to write to poor 
Cathalina.’ ” 

“That is a very fine theory, Miss Van Buskirk!” 
said Betty, opening a letter from home. 

“Wait till you get a letter from Donald,’’ said 
Cathalina. “Then we’ll see what remarks the rest 
of us can make.” 

“All right,” said Betty. “Have you opened your 
letter from the academy?” 

Then Cathalina did blush a little, having hoped 
that the note from Captain Van Horne would escape 
comment. “Not yet,” she said. 

“I’m horrid,” said Betty, repentantly. “It isn’t 
even polite to make such personal remarks. My 
good spirits do carry me away!” 

“You’re forgiven,” said Cathalina, “on condition 
that you let us read on in peace.” 

Silence descended on the room for a space. Then 
Lilian rose and went into the bedroom which she 
shared with Hilary. Betty remarked that she was 
going to hunt up Diane and left. Cathalina asked 
Hilary if she would like to read “Bob’s letter,” and 
passed it over. Hilary read and commented. “He 
writes a good letter, doesn’t he? It is full of fun, 
but very well expressed. I like Robert Paget. Did 
you ever wonder whether he were not related to 
Helen ?” 

“I never even thought of the names being the 
same. Isn’t that just like me?” 


i 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


87 


“I hadn’t thought of it till I got back to school 
and saw Helen again. But I have forgotten to ask 
her. ,, 

“They are not from the same place, but are both 
from the South and might easily be cousins. Helen 
hasn’t any brother, I think. I never heard her men¬ 
tion one, at least; but I pay so little attention some¬ 
times to family relations that she might have half a 
dozen relatives that I wouldn’t know about.” 

“My letter was from Campbell,” said Hilary. 
“The college news in it is about covered by the news 
in this of Bob’s. Shall I let Lilian read Bob’s let¬ 
ter?” Lilian had just come out to join them, after 
reading Philip’s letter once more all by herself! 

“Oh, this is a lovely letter. Phil’s news was about 
the same, but he had heard from my brother and 
was rejoicing, very kindly, about the North decision 
to go to New York.” 

“Really, Lilian?” asked Cathalina, in delight. 

“Yes, I just read more about it in Mother’s letter. 
I can’t believe it! But Mother says that Father has 
actually decided to leave the old town. It is largely 
on Dick’s account. Father and Dick will go into the 
firm with Father’s old friend. That means an estab¬ 
lished law business, of course.” 

“When will they go?” 

“Mother says that Father wants to hurry it up 
now, after waiting so many years, and she has no 
peace about taking their time to go over everything 


-'88 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


from attic to cellar, as she wants to do. Father says 
‘make a clearance/ and she has already begun on the 
attic, where there is everything stored, from Dick's 
cradle and my high chair to stacks of all the maga¬ 
zines from the year One.” 

The girls were listening with great interest, Catha- 
lina especially delighted at the thought of having 
Lilian in New York. “Think of it, Lil! You can 
have all kinds of music lessons and hear the things 
you like and we can be together so much. I wish 
you were coming to New York, too, Hilary.” 

But Hilary was not feeling left out. She always 
rejoiced in the good fortune of others. Besides, 
wasn’t Campbell in Cathalina’s family? This last 
letter of a young man who was at least a very firm 
friend. “No telling,” said she. “Remember that 
I’m the daughter of a minister, and there isn’t any 
telling where we may go!” 

“What else did your mother say?” asked Catha- 
lina of Lilian. 

“Not much more about New York, only that she 
hoped they could find comfortable quarters without 
much trouble. Poor Mother! I ought to be home 
to help look over things with her. But she will hire 
plenty of help for the hard work. She says that 
Father wants to be settled in New York by Christ¬ 
mas. I don’t know what to think of that. I’m crazy 
to go to live there, but I didn’t expect not to be able 
to say goodbye to the folks in the old town.” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


89 


“Goodbyes are awful,” said Cathalina. “You can 
visit them. Why, this just takes my breath with joy. 
Come on, let’s go and celebrate and tell the girls or 
something. The bell hasn’t rung for study hours.” 

“Oh, it won’t be time for that for a long while,” 
said Hilary. “Wait till I see if there’s anybody in 
the other suite, and if they are out we’ll go and hunt 
up Betty and Diane.” 

There was no one at home in the suite mentioned. 
Hilary, Lilian and Cathalina flew down the stairs 
and out upon the broad stones of the big porch. 
“I see them,” said Hilary, “walking up toward the 
little wood, look.” 

Diane, Evelyn, Betty and Helen were together. 
“Hoo-hoo!” called Hilary, and the girls stopped. 
“We want to tell you the latest news,” said Catha¬ 
lina, a little out of breath. “The Norths are going to 
move to New York, and I’ve just been wondering, 
too, Helen, if one of the friends' that my brother 
brings home once in a while is not related to you. He 
lives in Richmond and his name is Robert Paget. I 
don’t know why I was so stupid not to connect the 
names before.” 

“Bob Paget of Richmond? Well, I should think 
we are related, only first cousins!” 

“Good. You should have been at our house party. 
I wanted to have all you other girls that were at 
camp as it was, but the automobile trip and the size 


90 GREYCLIFF HEROINES 

of the car limited it this time. We’ll have another 
one.” 

“You need not make any apologies, Cathalina. 
We all understood how it was. I haven’t seen any¬ 
thing of Robert for some time, but they say that he 
is quite a fine fellow.” 

“I had such a bright letter from him today. He 
is at college with my brother and cousin, you know, 
and is a great chum of my brother’s. And here we 
are just finding it out! I’ll let you read the letter 
when we go back.” 

“All right, I’d love to see it. By the way, when 
do you suppose the societies will have their initia¬ 
tions ?” 

“Very soon; next Friday, I think. I don’t know 
what they do, but the collegiates always seemed to 
have so much fun over it, and the girls would never 
tell what happened.” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


91 


CHAPTER VIII 

THE MILITARY RECEPTION 

“Are you going with Donald Hilton, Betty ?” 

“Yes, Cathalina. I can guess whom you are go¬ 
ing with—Captain Van Horne.” 

“Yes, I am. What shall we wear?” 

“Our very ‘spuzziest’ clothes, they say, white kid 
gloves and all. The boys and officers will be im¬ 
maculate. And there is to be a fancy drill and a 
prize drill, too, and the most wonderful supper ever. 
Dorothy told me, and Jack told her.” 

“I saw Harry Mills and Jack Appleton with the 
girls the other day. It was Sunday at dinner, 
wasn’t it?” 

“I think so. Jack has asked Hilary, and Henry 
lias asked Lilian. Juliet is going with Lieutenant 
Maxwell.” 

“That funny, jolly instructor?” 

“Yes, the one you were with at the ice carnival. 
You haven’t forgotten him, I hope.” 

“Oh, no. What do you think, Betty? You know 
that Captain Van Horne was here the other 
evening?” 

“Yes.” 


92 


GKEYCLIFF HEROINES 


“Well, he was talking away just as dignified as 
could be, and had just asked me if he might have 
‘the pleasure of my company’ for the military recep¬ 
tion, and then he laughed and said that Lieutenant 
Maxwell was going to arrange to take me and that 
he—Captain Van Horne—told him to get somebody 
else! Then he said in a most persuasive way, ‘Do 
you mind very much’?” 

“And did you tell him, ‘Oh, no, Fd far rather be 
with you, my love’ ?” 

“Scarcely. I said, ‘I think it is very kind of you 
to invite me, and I am perfectly satisfied with my 
escort,’ and then went right on with some reference 
to our visit in New York.” 

“You know they do invite the girls they like, but 
it isn’t altogether arranged for that reason. Only 
the collegiate girls and the senior academy girls can 
go, so they fix up the lists some way. I’m so glad 
they are having one this year. I just love dress 
parades and drills and things.” 

“Oh, yes; I was asking Captain Van Horne about 
Captain Holley, if the boys liked him, and what sort 
of a man he is, and Captain Van Horne said that he 
is all right so far as he knows, and said that he asked 
him to arrange for you to go with him—it seems 
that Captain Van Horne had something to do with 
the lists, but Donald Hilton was ahead of him.” 

“Saved again!” exclaimed Betty. “I can’t tell 
you how I hate to be with him!” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 93 

“He is one of the handsomest men at the school, 
too.” 

“That doesn’t make any difference. I know there 
is something wrong with him, for all his handsome 
face.” 

“I don’t believe you ought to say that, Betty, but 
he is certainly different, and it is natural that we 
shouldn’t have much confidence in him, knowing 
about his family as we do. I was so surprised to see 
Louise back this year. I wonder how it happened. 
But I would not dare ask Miss Randolph. Your 
meeting with the distinguished Rudolph was so 
romantic!” 

“I hope I don’t have any more like it. And, be¬ 
sides, it was not half so romantic as my meeting 
with Donald. Did I tell you that I had a letter from 
Lawrence Haverhill this morning? Wait till I 
get it.” 

“I am surprised at the way the boys are writing 
to us. I had another letter from Bob, too. Here it 
is. You remember when we all said ‘yes, we’d write,’ 
when the boys all asked us together. But I never 
thought they really would—though I did think that 
Lawrence Haverhill was interested in you, Betty.” 

“I don’t think he is, but I remember how surprised 
Robert Paget was to find you so grown up, and how 
he looked at you so much. Didn’t you say that 
either he hadn’t visited Phil for a year or two, or 
that you happened to be away?” 


94 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“Yes. I was not there when Bob was.” 

“Life is getting very interesting, isn’t it?” 

“Yes, but I hope that it will not also become too 
complicated for comfort. I am no flirt and I am 
content with one nice man to take me around.” 

“I think we have no need to worry yet. I liked 
all the boys at your house, and I’m having a flne time 
here.” 

“There must be something in that Hallowe’en 
superstition!” 

“My, but I was scared when I saw Donald’s face 
in the mirror!” 

“Do the gentlemen come for us for the reception ?” 
asked Cathalina. 

“Oh, no. They couldn’t. They have so many 
things to get ready, and there’s the drill, you know. 
We’ll be taken there, and when we get our wraps off 
and all our little locks in place we’ll go down to the 
big reception hall and the officers and cadets will be 
there in all their glory. Dorothy told me all about 
how they do.” 

“It will be different from any party or reception 
I ever attended.” 

“Yes, just imagine how the old colonel—the com¬ 
mandant—will look in his uniform. He is a real 
officer in the United States army, Donald said, and 
he looks a general at least.” 

Miss Randolph confided to Miss West that she 
would be glad when the military reception was over, 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


95 


for the girls could not think of much else. Lessons 
did not suffer much, but in hours of recreation there 
was scarcely any other topic of conversation. To 
tell the truth, even Miss Randolph had a new gown 
for the occasion. She could not be too much of a 
contrast to the uniformed commandant she said, by 
way of excuse. 

Cathalina’s school clothes had been very simple, 
but now her mother was permitting her to have a 
few very beautiful frocks, not made in any extreme 
style, but of exquisite material and suited to the 
pretty young woman which Cathalina was becom¬ 
ing. For the Greycliff girls were growing up. At 
times they seemed like little school girls together. 
Again they were interested young women, ambitious 
for the different lines of study in which they were 
engaged. Both Betty and Cathalina were taking a 
course in designing. Lilian was working hard at 
her violin, keeping up the voice lessons, but being 
careful not to sing too much nor strain the young 
voice. Hilary was earnestly preparing herself for 
university life and further study beyond, she hoped. 
Yet, at this age, no very definite future was shaped 
for any of them. The mysterious Prince Charming 
was a shadowy possibility, and not so shadowy of 
late in some cases. 

At last the military reception was at hand. Silken 
frocks and sashes, shining slippers and dainty fans 
were in evidence. “Are you going to put on your 


9G 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


white kid gloves now?” asked Cathalina, beginning 
to gather up her lace handkerchief, fan and other 
small appurtenances as the time to leave Greycliff 
Hall approached. 

“Mercy, no,” replied Betty. “They would all be 
soiled before we got there. We’ll put them on just 
before we go down stairs at the school. I'm slipping 
on these dark ones and will leave them in the pocket 
of my coat. What do you think, Hilary—can’t we 
wear our slippers, or shall we take our slipper bags ?” 

“The weather is all right and we are going to ride 
every step of the way, after we once get in the ’bus. 
I’m not going to bother with mine. My, but your 
evening coat is pretty, Cathalina. You have every 
little perfection in your toilet. Did you hear Isabel’s 
story ?” 

“No. I heard her chatting to you as you dressed, 
though.” 

“Louise Holley came in and asked Olivia if she 
had any white kid gloves. Olivia said ‘Yes,’ and 
when Louise asked if she could borrow them, Olivia 
brought them out and was going to give them to 
her, thought she had to. You know what a gener¬ 
ous soul she is.” 

“I do, indeed.” 

“Well, just then Isabel and Virginia came in, while 
Olivia was getting the gloves out and Isabel 
said, ‘What are you going to do with your gloves, 
Olivia ?’ Isabel said that it was none of her affair. 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


97 


of course, but she had a feeling that Louise was bor¬ 
rowing them. So when Olivia said that Louise 
wanted them, Isabel spoke up and asked Louise 
where her own were. Louise tossed her head and 
said that they were not as clean as they ought to be 
for this reception. Then Isabel ‘braced up/ she said, 
and asked Louise what Olivia's were going to look 
like when she had worn them all evening. ‘Olivia’s 
have never been worn, and I think anybody who asks 
to borrow a new pair of white kid gloves has her 
nerve P Can’t you hear Isabel say that ? But Isabel 
was about ready to cry when she first came in. 
Louise 'gets on her nerves’ anyway, she says.” 

“What did Louise do?” 

“Was terribly angry, of course, and flounced out. 
Olivia cried and Isabel cried, and then came in to 
see us and get consoled. She said that she would 
apologize to Louise for the way in which she did it, 
if she only could be sorry for what she had done.” 

“Let’s notice what Louise has on. I’ll wager she 
gets a pair from somebody else,” said Betty. 

The ride was full of joyful anticipations and 
lively chatter. They drove into the grounds and up 
to the main building of the academy in style and 
were met by a detachment of cadets, who helped 
them out of the ’buses and escorted them into the 
building, giving them into the care of the matron, 
and several maids imported for the occasion. Betty 
looked for Donald, as several girls did for some par- 


98 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


ticular cadet, but saw nothing of him, though Harry 
Mills was one of the welcoming party. Girls and 
teachers were taken upstairs, where a large room had 
been turned into a dressing room. The girls took 
their time, as girls do, to lay aside their wraps, fix 
their hair and arrange their collars or ribbons to 
their satisfaction. In those pre-war days, happily, 
there was no rouge nor lip-stick fashion to be for¬ 
bidden by Miss Randolph. She stood, casually 
enough, near the foot of the stairs as the girls came 
down, but with a keen glance inspected each one to 
see that she looked like the lady she should be. 

The commandant stood in the door of the recep¬ 
tion room, waited till the last girl of the flock had 
come down the stairs and Miss Randolph turned, 
then came forward with outstretched hand to greet 
Miss Randolph, to meet the girls, and in turn to 
present them to a receiving group of officers which 
waited near. Then the cadets and other officers or 
instructors came up to meet the girls whom they 
knew, and take charge of their particular ladies. 
,What perfectly creased and spotless uniforms there 
were! How the buttons and gilt braid shone, and 
how delightful were the erect bearing and courteous 
manners! 

Betty was almost the last one of the girls left by 
Miss Randolph when Captain Van Horne, who had 
found Cathalina a few minutes before, came back, 
consulted with the commandant, said a few words 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


99 

to Miss Randolph which Betty did not catch, and 
offered Betty his arm. “Miss Barnes, if I may, I 
will take you over with Miss Van Buskirk and my¬ 
self. Corporal Hilton is unavoidably detained on 
duty for a short time and asked me to make his 
excuses.” 

Betty was quite surprised at this, but gracefully 
accepted Captain Van Horne’s arm and joined Cath- 
alina, who was waiting with a group of the girls 
and cadets. She noticed Captain Holley’s look of 
interest and bowed as she caught his eye. She felt 
a little awkward, in spite of Captain Van Horne’s 
efforts to put her at ease, and the pleasant attentions 
of the other young people around her. Lieutenant 
Maxwell’s remarks kept them all merry, as they 
enjoyed this short social time before the drills. How 
jolly and young Miss Randolph and the comman¬ 
dant seemed, but of course they were terribly old— 
almost fifty at least! 

Betty was standing now near the broad window 
that looked out upon the academy campus, and no¬ 
ticed that Captain Holley was edging over in her 
direction. He had his sister with him and presently 
they joined her, Captain Holley standing so that she 
was temporarily shut off from Cathalina and the rest 
of that group. “I wonder,” said Captain Holley 
presently, “if we are going to have rain. I thought 
it looked cloudy a while ago.” 

“Mercy, I hope not,” returned Louise; “we girls 


* 


) 


j 


100 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


all wore our slippers and brought no other shoes.” 

'‘We could get you safely into the ’buses without 
your getting your fet wet,” said Captain Holley. 

“I’d like to know how, Rudolph,” said his sister. 

“Carry you!” 

“Why, it promised to be moonlight as we drove 
over,” said Betty, and she drew back the curtain to 
peer out. Who was that? A forlorn, lone figure 
marched up the walk and turned to go back. Betty 
grasped the situation in a moment. It was Donald. 
Something had happened, and Donald had been put 
under discipline, and Captain Holley wanted her to 
see it. That was no guard marching up and down. 
This flashed through her mind like a flash, as she 
dropped the curtain, and with perfect self-control, 
though with flushing cheeks, turned toward Louise 
and began to flirt her fan carelessly in her hands. 
“Oh, well, Louise, if it does cloud up, what is the 
difference? The great military reception will be 
over. You have no idea, Captain Holley, how we 
girls have looked forward to this night, with the 
drills, the fun and the unusual atmosphere of mili¬ 
tary surroundings. It is all so—quaint!” 

“Quaint, is it? That is good. And will there be 
no regrets ?” 

“Possibly, but if one is good and kind, there ought 
to be no regrets.” 

“I am wondering what has become of your escort. 
Miss Betty.” 




GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


101 

“Yes, you must be. I am told that he is detained. 
It is unfortunate for me, is it not?” 

“It is very unfortunate for him. Will you not 
join Louise and me to watch the drills Captain Van 
Horne has the young lady he invited with him.” 

“Cathalina will not mind, and I am supposed to 
be with them, thank you, Captain Holley. But I 
appreciate your kindness” (at its true worth, she 
thought). 

“Let me just speak to the commandant and Miss 
Randolph,” said Captain Holley quickly, and before 
Betty could protest he had hurried over to the com¬ 
mandant. What could she do? Nothing, she de¬ 
cided. Let the fates do what they would, then. With 
Louise on her hands, she could not explain the situ¬ 
ation to Cathalina and Captain Van Horne. By the 
smiling appearance of everybody concerned at the 
other end of the room, she judged that the deter¬ 
mined Rudolph was having his way. “All right, sir, 
I shall play up and play the game,” she thought. 

Captain Holley returned with a pleased smile on 
his handsome face. He spoke a moment to Captain 
Van Horne, who bowed, smiled at Betty and moved 
away from the group with Cathalina. Betty felt de¬ 
serted, but turned with her most charming manner 
to Captain Holley and his sister, saying, “Now this 
is kind of you. Tell me about everything, Captain 
Holley. Who is to take part and what is to be done?” 
It seemed a very long time since they had arrived, 


102 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


yet it was probably not more than half an hour. 
Surely Donald was not to be absent the whole eve¬ 
ning or they would have told her. The drills would 
begin pretty soon. 

In a few minutes the commandant made an an¬ 
nouncement, which Betty heard as if in a dream, 
and the ladies all were escorted over to seats in the 
big gymnasium, where the drills were to take place. 
Captain Holley most gallantly took Betty and his 
sister along the concrete walks. He was fascinating 
when he tried to be. The cadets all yielded place to 
the officers and their ladies, who were seated in the 
best places. Then the band marched in, after what 
seemed to Betty like a long time of waiting. 

But Betty now could not help enjoying the scene 
before her, Donald or no Donald. The bright lights, 
the music, the marching companies of erect figures 
in their attractive uniforms, as the drill began, put 
a thrill in all the spectators. Betty had recovered 
from her embarrassment. After all, it was, perhaps, 
only kindness that made Captain Holley take her 
under his wing. Perhaps he only took pains to show 
her Donald at his punishment because she would 
understand the situation better. Well, what was the 
use of wondering about it ? Here was a fine enter¬ 
tainment before her eyes. Why not enjoy it? And 
now Betty was one of the few to have a bright young 
officer explaining things to her. Many of the cadets 
were taking part in the drill and some of the in- 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


103 

structor officers. Louise was more interesting and 
happier than she had ever seen her, and seemed to 
be both fond and proud of her brother. To her 
Captain Holley showed a superior elder brother sort 
of affection, but to Betty his manner was that poised 
manner of especial interest which is so flattering and 
attractive to a young girl. But who was that just 
jnarching in? Was that Donald? In the different 
^uniform she could scarcely recognize him, but it 
,must be he. Yes, it was. Considerably flushed, 
Corporal Hilton was taking his part in the fancy 
drill. 


104 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


CHAPTER IX 

APPOINTMENTS AND DISAPPOINTMENTS 

Meanwhile, the other girls in Betty’s ‘"quar¬ 
tette” were having no such harrowing experiences. 
Cathalina was having a better talk with her friend, 
Captain Van Horne, than had been possible when 
they were together in New York. During the intro¬ 
ductory half hour in the parlors they had been with 
a group of the young friends. But there was the 
walk in the moonlight together to the gymnasium, 
and seats there apart from their more intimate 
friends, as it happened. 

“Has any one told you,” asked Cathalina, “that 
the Norths are moving to New York?” 

“No, Miss Van Buskirk, but Richard North gave 
me a hint of it when we had some conversation at 
your home one evening. He has a fine opportunity, 
going in with that firm of experienced lawyers.” 

“How are you getting on with your studies?” 

“I have little time that I can call my own here, 
of course, but am accomplishing a little. I am more 
familiar with the work here than I was last year, 
and like the boys. We have a good class of fellows 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


105 


in this school. The commandant is strict, but rather 
human, on the whole, and just. The boys all have 
confidence in him. His discipline stands back of the 
instructors, too, and we feel that we shall be sup¬ 
ported in anything that is fair and square.” 

“That must help, of course,” said Cathalina. 
thoughtfully. “I don’t know the first thing about 
discipline. Whatever goes on at Greycliff most of 
us girls know nothing about.” 

“Military discipline is a good thing for boys.” 

“Yes. Father says that it is the finest kind of 
'athletics/ too, for they don’t shuffle and swing 
themselves around, but get the habit fixed of the 
erect carriage that is so splendid.” Cathalina was 
enthusiastic now. “Oh, there they come!” Like 
Betty and the rest of the girls, Cathalina felt the 
quickening of interest and the inspiration which 
came with the music and the marching feet. “Don’t 
they look fine! Help me pick out the ones we know, 
Captain Van Horne. Wasn’t that Donald Hilton? 
I wonder where Betty is ?” 

“Over there with Captain Holley and his sister.” 

“I see. Poor Betty.” 

“Why 'poor’?” 

“She doesn’t like him.” 

“She is laughing and seems to be having a good 
time.” 

“Oh, she would. Besides, you would have a good 
time with anybody here.” 


106 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


Captain Van Horne gave her an amused glance, 
lifting his brows as if to inquire if it made no dif¬ 
ference to her with whom she came. 

Cathalina caught his glance, understood it, and 
added with a smile, “But it is very much nicer to be 
with congenial company!” 

“Have I ever told you how much I appreciated 
your being so good to me last summer ?” 

“Why, yes, you made the most pleasant of re¬ 
marks whenever you left our little circle.” 

“But it was more than just the ordinary appre¬ 
ciation of courtesy, Miss Van Buskirk. It was like 
heaven out at your place to a fellow who was staying 
in a hot room in town and studying and working 
away as I was. And to get out there, and eat am¬ 
brosia with a bevy of goddesses, was, indeed, to visit 
Olympus, especially when the chief goddess was as 
kind as you.” 

“You are very flattering, Captain Van Horne. I 
think I never was called a goddess before,” said 
Cathalina, laughing. “I wanted to have a better 
visit with you myself, but I was hostess, you know, 
and had so many folks to look after.” 

“I knew that, but I never could refuse any of your 
invitations.” 

“We wanted you to be there as much as possible. 
At a house party, you know, one has to put a good 
deal in a short time. I hope we did not take too much 
of your time.” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


107 


“No, indeed; I just existed till the next time. I 
think I was out at your place every day while you 
were there, either for dinner, a party or a call!” 

“Well, you had to make your party calls, didn't 
you?” 

“That is the explanation, of course. How clev¬ 
erly you put it. May I make a ‘party call’ after this ?” 

“Since I can’t, you will have to,” assented Catha- 
lina, in pleased amusement. 

Part of this conversation was going on while the 
band was playing, and the young captain had to lean 
over to talk into Cathalina’s ear. Then the band 
stopped and all was quiet while the fancy drill was 
carried to completion. How the girls applauded! 
The band played again, and then the competitive 
drills were announced. It made it all the more in¬ 
teresting that the girls knew so many of those who 
were taking part. Donald Hilton, Harry Mills and 
Jack Appleton were in the same company, A Com¬ 
pany, that won the first prize in the competitive drill. 

“What next?” asked Cathalina. 

“The ‘banquet,’ ” replied her escort. “The com¬ 
mandant will announce it or have some one of the 
officers do so. Then the boys who have been drill¬ 
ing will come for their ladies and we shall go.” 

But when the prizes were announced, another list 
was read, of those boys whose rank was advanced. 
And Donald’s name was not among them. 

As the cadets came in the main room, after the 


108 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


ranks were broken, there was one who did not know 
where to look for his fair lady. A trifle embarrassed, 
but manly, not knowing just how Betty would take 
this peculiar reception, anxious to explain, Donald 
Hilton came toward the visitors’ seats and stood a 
moment to look for Betty. As people were rising, 
collecting light wraps, chatting as they left, it was 
not easy to find her in the confusion. But Betty had 
seen Donald and intended to wait, and in a moment 
Donald had seen her and was making his way to¬ 
ward her. He saluted Captain Holley, very cour¬ 
teously, apologized to Betty for his delay in meeting 
her, and asked if she were ready to go to supper 
with him. 

“Thank you, Captain Holley, for taking me under 
your wing,” said Betty, more warmly than she had 
ever supposed she would, and with a smile to Louise, 
who had been so unusually cordial, she joined 
Donald in the departing procession. 

“I can’t tell you, Miss Betty,” said Donald, “how 
mortified I am over this affair. I don’t know what 
you must think of me. Did anybody tell you any¬ 
thing?” 

Betty stated demurely what she had been told on 
her arrival. 

“If I could just explode or something!” exclaimed 
Donald. 

Betty laughed, and, sorry for Donald’s distress, 
she said: “I don’t care, Donald. I can’t think that 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 109 

you would really intend to embarrass me, so I’ll for¬ 
give you before you explain.” 

‘‘Thank you, Betty,” said Donald, dropping the 
“Miss” this time. You’re an angel. I always knew 
it. But I have a lot to tell you about this. If I don’t 
get a chance to do it tonight, may I come over as 
soon as I can get off and tell you all about it?” 

“You certainly may.” 

“All right; I feel better. No telling how soon 
that will be, though, if I should be put on probation.” 

“Is it as bad as that?” 

“I shouldn’t be surprised. But, Betty, I wouldn’t 
ever have run any risk of seeming to show any dis¬ 
respect to you.” 

“I am sure of it.” 

“There I was, pacing up and down, like a tiger in 
his cage, and wondering how you were taking it and 
how on earth the thing came about. I’d had a few 
demerits—black marks, you know. It’s easy enough 
to get ’em. But either somebody’s set it up, or the 
kid cadets have just taken a bad time to take it out 
on me for some of the jokes our crowd has played on 
them. They don’t stand for much hazing here, and 
it’s little enough in that line that any of them had. 
I can’t think of but one that ever seemed to resent 
the jokes. But inspection has been a nightmare for 
two days now, and my black marks have piled up. 
Yesterday morning, Betty, I had cleaned my gun, 
but when at the last minute I got it for drill, there 


110 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


was a lot of black grease on it. Of course I was 
bawled out. And this morning, worst of all, there 
was a package of cigarettes found in my room when 
it was inspected. I have been trying to think that 
all out, too. I had gotten word that Van Horne 
wanted to see me, can’t even think what kid it was 
that told me. Somebody just called in the door, you 
know. So I started out to hunt up Van Horne and 
see what he wanted. Meanwhile somebody must 
have come in to fix up the cigarettes, for the report 
was that there was a half-smoked cigarette and a 
lot of ashes under a paper on the table. My bed had 
been fixed, too, so that it did not pass inspection.” 

“Did you find Captain Van Horne?” 

“Yes. He said that there must have been some 
mistake. He had not sent for me.” 

“Then, of course, it was all fixed up to get you 
in trouble.” 

“But when I came back to the building I found 
somebody had sent for me, the commandant, of 
course—and they must have been pretty swift, by 
the way, to get word to him so soon!” 

“I suppose it is against rules for the boys to have 
cigarettes.” 

“I should say so! I’m going to find out who put 
those in my room if it takes me to my dying day.” 

“Didn’t you tell the commandant about it ?” 

“I tried to, and got reprimanded for it, and told 
to take my punishment like a man. That was the 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


111 


first time I ever was mad at the commandant, and 
I’m going to see that he does know about it some 
day. But he was fair about tonight. I was to work 
out part of my punishment and miss the first part of 
the evening, as you know, but they needed me in the 
drills, and then the old boy said that he did not also 
want to punish the young lady I had invited, and I 
might take her out to supper. What more is hang¬ 
ing over my head I don’t know. You heard the list 
read out. I was due for a higher appointment, but 
of course could not have if now—am a measly cor¬ 
poral still.” 

Betty laughed at that. “I don’t believe that they 
will do anything very awful. But I would explain 
things to the commandant, or to Captain Van Horne, 
anyway.” 

“It is going to be easier to explain than to prove 
what I say. But now you must forget all about it, 
and if I am forgiven I shall put it out of my mind 
the rest of the evening, too. What has been going 
on over at Greycliff? Are you going to skate this 
winter?” 

“Oh, yes, I always skate; but I think that the 
great sport this winter is going to be the skiing, by 
the way the girls are talking now. But there is 
much on hand before that time comes.” 

“I don’t know. They say the cold weather will 
begin early this year.” 

By this time they had reached the dining room. 


112 


GEEYCLIFF HEROINES 


where white tables, flowers, music and savory odors 
greeted them. A little orchestra from Greycliff 
Heights, or Greycliff Village, as the girls usually 
called it, played during the meal. This was as great 
an event to the young people as the ice carnival of 
the year before. 

Most of the company had found their places at 
table by the time Betty and Donald entered the din¬ 
ing room. They had not hurried, merely keeping 
in sight the others who were ahead of them, while 
a few lingered behind them. Part way down the long 
room they saw a beckoning hand, that of Harry 
Mills, who was with Lilian, Jack Appleton and 
Hilary, and was trying to indicate that their place 
cards were at that table. Betty and Donald hurried 
on to join them, and found a table of gay young 
cadets and their guests. The place cards all had the 
picture of a tent and Uncle Sam in front of it, wel¬ 
coming a charming maiden, who represented Grey¬ 
cliff and was receiving the roses which he offered. 
There was a rose at each place, as well, and a silver 
pin, suitable for a corsage bouquet, for each of the 
girls. The bouquets had been sent to Greycliff, but 
these pins were reserved for the evening’s souvenir. 
JThey each bore the academy “arms” and seal. “Such 
a beautiful souvenir!” exclaimed Betty to Donald. 
“I shall always keep it in memory of a very happy 
evening.” 

“That is very good of you to say,” replied Donald. 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 113; 

'‘It is happy to me, too, since everything is all right 
with you. ,, 

Late as it was when the girls arrived at Greycliff, 
Cathalina and Betty were both too excited to sleep. 
Betty had too much to think over and Cathalina 
wanted to hear all Betty’s news. But they dutifully 
put lights out, and each lying in her little cot, related 
the most outstanding events of the evening. 

“Did Louise have on fresh gloves, Betty?” 

“Why, yes, she did. I never thought of it* 
though. Yes, I remember how snug they were, 
probably a bit too small, but just as clean as 
could be.” 

“Maybe they were her own, after all.” 

“Perhaps, and perhaps she succeeded in getting 
some one to lend them to her. But she was just 
lovely all the time we were together. And I liked 
Captain Holley better than I ever did before. I 
thought he was terribly officious at first, but it was 
very nice to have somebody to be really attentive till 
Donald came. Only I don’t think it was very kind 
of him to have me look out and see the poor boy!” 

“You remember he wanted to have you for his 
own guest, and perhaps he felt a little put out about 
Donald’s getting ahead of him again.” 

“I wonder! Cathalina, do you think he would go 
to the trouble to fix up things that way for Donald,, 
so perhaps he would miss the reception?” 


114 


GEEYCLIFF HEEOINES 


“Oh, no. That would be so trifling a thing for an 
officer to do. I can’t imagine it.” 

“He has done some awfully funny things, though. 
There was the time he met his sister outside of the 
hall.” 

“He explained that pretty well—at the time.” 

“Yes, I suppose so. Then what was he doing 
with those queer men at the cave?” 

“That is strange. But we ought to be careful not 
to say much, unless we feel pretty sure something 
was wrong.” 

“You know how careful we have been. But I 
can’t help wondering sometimes. If he has been at 
the bottom of that trouble of Donald’s!” 

“It would be pretty hard to connect him with it!” 
finished Cathalina. “But I do hope that Donald will 
find out who put those things in his room and who 
called him away. I imagine that it was some of 
those cadets revenging themselves a little, don’t 
you?” 

“That is the most likely explanation.” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


115 


CHAPTER X 

HEROIC VIRGINIA 

The military reception was soon a thing of the 
past. Other events were being looked forward to 
with varying degrees of interest. The days were 
speeding on toward Christmas and its vacation. 
There had been the usual Hallowe'en party, without 
special adventure this time for Betty or the other 
girls. Every day at Greycliff was an adventure of 
some sort, Hilary declared. Where so many girls 
were together, under one roof, there was always 
something interesting on foot. Their hard work on 
lessons and the affairs of the different organizations 
had its spice or reward in the friendships and visit¬ 
ing, the parties and fun that came in between class 
work and study. 

The new Greycliff had been duly initiated early 
in the term by a series of picnics. No storm had 
disturbed the beauty or safety of the trips. The girls 
had renewed acquaintance with all the natural fea¬ 
tures of the place that they loved so much. After 
Christmas there would be skiing and basketball 
games, the usual skating, when the ice was in con- 


116 


GEEYCLIFF HEROINES 


dition, swimming in the pool at the “gym,” and the 
continuation of the practices in the musical organ¬ 
izations. That was more pleasure than labor. The 
literary societies were progressing wonderfully, ac¬ 
cording to the accounts of their members. The 
Whittiers were bending every effort to have original 
or instructive programs and were devoting much 
time to debate in preparation for the inter-society 
debate in the spring. The subject for that was under 
discussion. 

Isabel was now president of the academy Shakes¬ 
pearean Society. That fact was enough to insure its 
regular programs and the appearance of all the mem¬ 
bers upon them. It was not found best to increase 
the membership too much, but by the advice of Miss 
Randolph, two other academy societies were formed, 
in order to give more students the opportunity of 
their drill in public performance. It was permissi¬ 
ble to use material which had been prepared for 
English classes or the oratory department. As there 
was plenty of this, the preparation for society night 
was not a burden. There were always an “oration” 
or short address of some sort, a brief debate and 
musical numbers with readings or some form of en¬ 
tertainment by the “dramatic” members. Isabel 
flew around to arrange for everything, or to see that 
the various committees were doing their duty, and 
her room was a center for the Shakespearean mem¬ 
bers all week long. Virginia nobly responded to 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


117 


every cry for assistance from Isabel, and often filled 
in a place on the program for which some one had 
failed to prepare. Occasionally, Eloise or Lilian 
came down from their own society meeting to sing 
for them. 

“You would not believe, girls,” said Isabel, “how 
Virginia Hope has come out. She takes to literature 
like a duck to water, and you ought to hear her de¬ 
bate. She can think on her feet. If we ever get 
suffrage, Virgie will go to Congress!” This was 
before Virginia, who turned to Lilian, saying, “Hold 
me, Lilian! This is going to my head! I’m not 
used to this from my room-mate. She usually says, 
'Virgie, you’ll have to do this—such a pity that Mary 
can’t do it; she is so gifted’!” 

“I like your beautiful simile, Isabel,” said Catha- 
lina. “ ‘She takes to literature like a duck to water/ 
How forceful, yet brief.” 

“What else can you expect from a Shakespearean?” 
inquired Hilary. “And didn’t we start that society ? 
The answer is ‘We did/ ” 

“Listen to ’em, Virgie. Of course they’d take the 
credit for everything we do!” 

“As far as I’m concerned,” said Virgie, “they 
may. But I’m thinking that little Isabel is getting 
her share of credit, too.” 

“Seriously, Isabel,” said Cathalina, “we girls are 
just pleased to pieces that the society is going so well 


118 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


this year. And you got the very new girls in that 
are going to help you.” 

“Sometimes when they say they can’t do things, 
and won’t be persuaded, I get awfully discouraged 
and think I’ll resign; and then I think of the Psyche 
Club crowd and say, ‘On to Olympus, aha!’ ” 

“You’re killing, fine old Isabel!” and Cathalina 
gave her a little squeeze. “Isabel’s the stuff heroines 
are made of. We’ll line you up with Eloise. And 
you’ll be going to Congress yourself, you’re such a 
fine little debater—though, of course, women will 
never go there.” For in those days, so it seemed. 

“Goodbye; we must positively get to work,” said 
Pauline. 

“Me, too,” said Juliet. 

“One more piece of fudge around, girls,” said 
Isabel. “You can’t leave all that for just us to 
finish.” The departing girls took a last piece between 
thumb and finger as they yielded to Isabel’s coaxing 
tones and the appearance of the plate of soft brown 
squares. The Psyche Club had been having a meet¬ 
ing in the Isabel-Virgie-Avalon-Olivia suite. 

“Did you get the mail I put on your dresser, Vir- 
gie?” asked Olivia. 

“No. I forgot to look,” replied Virginia, disap¬ 
pearing into the bedroom, while the other girls got 
out their books and started on their lessons just as 
the study bell rang. 

“Put down a credit mark for us this time,” said 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 110 

Isabel. “For once we are already at it when the bell 
rings.” 

“Don’t talk as if we never studied, Miss Hunt. 
Many’s the time outside of study hours that this poor 
old brain has been busy!” 

“Poor Olivia!” 

Half an hour later, Isabel woke up to the fact that 
Virgie had not returned to the study room, but she 
looked toward the bedroom door, where all was 
quiet, and resumed her study. Another half hour 
went by. Isabel thought of Virgie again, and no¬ 
ticed that her books were on the table. 

“Why, she isn’t studying,” thought Isabel. “I 
wonder if anything is the matter. Perhaps she had 
bad news in the letter,” Isabel tiptoed to the bed¬ 
room door and peeped in. Virginia was lying on 
the bed, her arms thrown up in such a way as to con¬ 
ceal her face. “Virgie,” said Isabel, gently, “are 
you asleep?” 

“No,” replied Virginia, her tones a bit smoth¬ 
ered; “I’ll be out pretty soon, I guess.” 

Isabel went back to her lessons, convinced now 
that something was the matter. Avalon looked up 
from her book. “Anything the matter with Virgie ?” 

“She’s lying down and I guess doesn’t want to be 
disturbed. Maybe she has a headache. I ate too 
much of that fudge myself.” Isabel said to herself: 
“I don’t know that anything is the matter, I just 
guess it, so I hope it’s all right to suggest a head- 


120 GREYCLIFF HEROINES 

.ache. You can’t tell all the truth always!” Isabel 
was too honest not to blame herself for this evasion. 

But presently Virginia came out, picked up her 
books, and began to study. “Got a headache, Vir¬ 
gie?” asked Avalon. 

“Yes, a little one,” replied Virginia. 

That night Isabel heard a repressed sob or two and 
longed to comfort Virgie and find out what could 
be the matter. Something had happened at home, 
she supposed. 

For several days Virginia was sober, doing her 
work as well as usual, but not running in to visit the 
other girls, and spending a good deal of time by her¬ 
self. Avalon and Olivia did not appear to notice 
any difference, but Isabel could tell that Virgie had 
something on her mind. Finally, Isabel decided that 
she would speak to her about it, and waited for a 
good opportunity. This came on the following Sab¬ 
bath afternoon, when after the late and excellent 
Sunday dinner the girls had donned their bathrobes 
and slippers and were lounging in their bedrooms. 
Isabel was propped up against her pillows and was 
writing letters. Virginia was stretched out on her 
bed, apparently asleep, but presently she rose and 
went to the dresser for a handkerchief. There was 
a tell-tale redness about her eyes, which Isabel noted 
in one quick glance, and when Virginia was once 
more on her bed, her back turned to Isabel, Isabel 
said softly, “Virgie, I wish you would tell me what 


GEEYCLIFF HEEOINES 


121 


is the matter and let me be of some comfort. You 
haven’t been like yourself for several days and it 
worries me. Of course, if there is any secret, or 
anything you can’t tell me, all right, but I hate to 
have you feel like this and not say a word to you.” 

There was silence for a moment, and then Virgie 
said, “I’ve been going to tell you, Isabel, but I’m 

such a baby that I c-cry about it-” Virgie could 

not go on just then. Isabel waited. 

“Maybe it would do you good to cry it out, Virgie. 
Haven’t you been holding it all in for fear the girls 
would notice? Cry it out for all me,” added the 
sturdy Isabel. 

“You ‘hate water-works/ ” said Virgie, laughing 
through her tears. 

“Sometimes they are a ‘necessary evil,’ ” replied 
Isabel, with a broad smile. 

“I did cry it out one night,” said Virgie, “but 
always when I’ve started to say anything I’d get 
choked up. Now that you have spoken about it, 
though, perhaps I can get through telling you 
about it.” 

Isabel’s imagination was working, trying to think 
of what could have happened, when Virgie con¬ 
tinued, “You know that letter I got from 
Father-” 

“I supposed it was from him. I saw it lying on 
the dresser and after you read it you were upset.” 

“Well, to make a long story short, Father can’t 




122 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


afford to keep me in school any longer and I’ve got— 
to go—home!” 

“Mercy sakes!” said Isabel, “that is a blow! But 
it’s better than a death in the family.” 

“Oh, yes; I never even thought of that as a con¬ 
solation. Of course it’s better than losing Father, 
but sometimes I feel that I can’t go back to the ranch 
with my stepmother there. It isn’t that she is a 
stepmother. I’m not so silly as that. There are lots 
of good ones, but I guess my father didn’t know 
much about her when he married her and she isn’t 
good for any girl to be with. I’d know better how 
to meet it now, but it will be hard. Why, I’d rather 
just wash dishes at Greycliff than go to live with 
her!” 

“Maybe you can.” 

“Can—what?” 

“Wash dishes at Greycliff, or something like it. 
Don’t you see? If it’s only money that is the mat¬ 
ter, perhaps something can be done.” 

“Oh, I’ve thought about that, and I couldn’t bor¬ 
row or accept money from Cathalina or anybody, or 
have the girls get up a scholarship for me!” 

“You’re too proud, Virginia Hope, for anybody 
that really wants to get an education. Why 
shouldn’t people with money help girls that want an 
education? All these schools raise money for their 
scholarships that way.” 

“Oh, well, if it were something that I had earned 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


123 


by high scholarship, or because people thought I 
would be a credit to them, or they wanted to take 
that way of giving money to their school, or getting 
students for it and helping the ‘cause of education’— 
that would be different, but all the scholarships here 
are provided for, I guess.” 

“Greycliff is poor, all right, for all that it is try¬ 
ing to do. When did your father say you would 
have to go home?” 

‘Til just let you read the letter,” said Virgie, who 
began to feel much better already, since she had con¬ 
fided in Isabel. “It’s a short one. I know how my 
father felt when he had to write it.” 

Isabel perused the letter and sat thoughtfully a 
few moments, still perched on her bed against the 
pillows, with her writing materials strewn around 
her. Virginia sat on the edge of her cot, feeling for 
the first that there might be hope in Isabel’s sugges¬ 
tion. 

“Why, say, Virgie, you don’t have to go right 
off!” 

“No, it’s all paid up till the end of the first semes¬ 
ter, so I’ll get my grades and standing anyhow, and 
perhaps some time I can come back.” 

“Now, listen, Virgie. Your father says that he 
can send you money at the end of the first semester 
to take you home and that is all he can do without 
getting in debt and that he doesn’t dare do. Very 


124 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


sensible. He knows that you are going home with 
me for Christmas, doesn’t he?” 

“Yes.” 

“It takes quite a little money to go clear to North 
Dakota, doesn’t it?” 

“Oh, yes; railroad fare is quite a little sum.” 

“How are you oft for clothes?” Isabel was men¬ 
tally running over Virgie’s wardrobe and went on 
before Virginia had a chance to answer her. “You 
didn’t wear any of your pretty summer dresses that 
you got before school was out at camp, you know, 
so you’ll hardly need anything unless it’s shoes 
or gloves and the things we need ‘pin-money’ for. 
You don’t need anything new for winter, do you? 
It’s a good thing that you had to have everything 
new last year. There is your pretty coat that is good 
for both everyday and Sunday-go-to-meetin’, and 
your other winter things will last, won’t they?” 

“I’ll make ’em.” 

“If you can be saving with the money you have 
on hand, and put the money of the fare toward the 
next semester’s school expenses, I believe you could 
earn the rest. Of course, there aren’t so many ways 
of earning money here as at some schools, but maybe 
we can create some. Do you mind if I talk it over 
with Lilian!” 

“I was going to tell the girls pretty soon.” 

“Let’s keep it all in the Psyche Club for the pres¬ 
ent, and see what our brilliant minds can evolve. 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


125 


aha!” Then, seeing Virgie’s look, she added, “You 
can count on me not to embarrass you, Virgie, in 
any way.” 

“Perhaps, if I stay, I can win one of the prizes 
this spring, and that would take me home.” 

“Fine!” said Isabel. “Me ’n’ you ought to get the 
prizes for debate, and whichever one I get I’d lend 
to you.” 

“No lending, remember.” 

“Say, Virgie, I’ve heard of girls doing mending 
and other little things for the girls at schools. 
[Would you mind trying something like that?” 

“I’d do anything to stay here whether I minded it 
or not!” 

“Good for you. Line up in the heroine class, as 
Cathalina says.” 

Virgie was laughing by this time, with no traces 
of tears. 

“Wait to write to your father about our plan till 
we have worked out something ‘more definite,’ as 
Dr. Norris says, to tell him. You feel pretty sure 
he will let you try it, don’t you?” 

“Oh, yes. I feel guilty to have cost him so much 
as it is, and it was so grand of him to pay my way 
at camp last summer.” 

“My, what a relief it will be to the Psyche Club 
not to have to do any mending this spring! Hon¬ 
estly, can you mend, Virgie?” 


! 


126 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“Try me—and don’t the girls hate to fix their 
shoes more than anything else ?” 

“I know I do.” 

“All right; wait till I get me a nice brush or two, 
and the necessary white, brown and black polish, 
and I’ll be ready to hang out my shingle. Isabel, 
I wish I had talked to you before. I never thought 
of those little things till you spurred me up to it.” 

“Let us now join in singing ‘Whispering Hope/ 
and then I’ll finish my letters,” said Isabel picking 
up her pen. 

“I shall sleep and dream of my business enter¬ 
prises—it’s precious little sleep I’ve had this week!” 
and Virgie settled down again. In about five min¬ 
utes she was sound asleep, a peaceful expression on 
her face. Isabel wrote awhile; then, when she was 
sure that Virginia was safely in the land of dreams, 
she tiptoed out, wrapping her robe tightly about her, 
while she sped down the hall to the door of the suite 
she sought. “I hope the girls are not asleep,” she 
thought, and tapped lightly. 

Cathalina came to open the door, saying that 
Lilian and Hilary were asleep, but that she and Betty 
were longing for social gayety. 

“I’m the one to supply that need,” said Isabel 
gayly. “But I want to tell you girls something and 
ask your advice.” 

“No secrets,” called Lilian from her bedroom. 
“Hilary and I are both wide awake and listening.” 



GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


127 


Isabel and Cathalina proceeded to the bedroom 
door and looked with smiles upon the lazy Hilary 
and Lilian. Betty appeared from the other bed¬ 
room, trailing a bathrobe much too long for her, and 
they all perched upon the two cots. “You ought to 
have your mother lengthen your robe for you, 
Betty/’ said Isabel. 

“Yes. Isn’t it a pity about this? I sent my other 
one to the laundry this summer just before I came 
here, and it never came back. Hence this, from the 
Greycliff Emporium. I honestly have intended to 
make a deeper hem, but I don’t know when I could 
have found the time.” 

“The Psyche Club is to do no more mending or 
sewing of rips and tears, or blacking shoes-” 

“Mercy, what’s the matter?” asked Lilian. “Is 
Miss Randolph going to import maids for us ?” 

“No. Listen. You know I told you, Lilian, that 
I thought something was the matter with Virgie. 
Well, I found out what it was. Her father has had 
bad luck or something, and said she would have to 
go home after this semester. Now I have thought 
up a wild scheme by which she may earn enough to 
stay through the second semester. Don’t tell me, 
girls, that it can’t be done, because I’ve got Virgie 
sleeping the sleep of the just, after a sleepless week, 
in the hope of being able to stay!” 

The girls listened attentively as Isabel gave them 
the details of the letter and of her talk with Virgie. 



128 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“Of course there will be lots of things that will be 
disagreeable about it, if she does things outside of 
the Psyche Club, but I believe Virgie has the grit to 
stick it out, and we can stand by her.” 

“Girls do get through doing things like that in 
other schools,” said Cathalina. “Now I hate to wash 
out and press my georgette waists, but I sent a dar¬ 
ling one to the wash and it came back ruined!” 

“But where will Virgie find the time from her 
lessons for all this?” 

“I suspect she will have to give up lots of fun,” 
said Isabel, ruefully. '“I don’t know that I can have 
a good time when she is working so hard, and she 
will want to do most of it herself. I can let her 
off from society duties, except debates, and she needs 
all the practice she can get in that. We are both 
working for prizes.” 

“Are there any collegiate scholarships estab- 
shed?” asked Cathalina. 

“I don’t know. We were talking about scholar¬ 
ships and she wouldn’t want any fixed up just for 
her, she said.” 

“I don’t see why she should feel that way about 
it. Besides, Father wants to do things for this 
school and told me to find out what else Miss Ran¬ 
dolph wanted. He can make the debate prize bigger 
anyway.” 

“I think that could be done,” said Isabel. “Virgie 
wouldn’t know anything about it till she got it. If 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


129 


it would take her home and bring her back it would 
be better! She thinks she must go home this sum¬ 
mer anyway. Her father has not seen her, you 
know, and she is anxious to know how he really is. 
He works so hard, she says.” 

“There’s that grand nut candy that you and Virgie 
make, Isabel,” said Lilian. “Why couldn’t Virgie 
sell that to the girls—let them come for it, or have 
a little sale on Saturday afternoon or evening?” 

“That is a fine idea. Would Miss Randolph let 
her do that?” 

“I think so. She lets us do things to raise money 
for our societies, you know. I don’t suppose she 
would let anybody sell outside stuff, but the little bit 
of candy we make, or anything else that we do our¬ 
selves could be sold, I think. You ask her, Catha- 
lina, will you?” 

“Certainly I will.” 

“And we’ll have to find out exactly what Virgie 
will have to make to pay the rest of the semester’s 
expenses, and get the little things she needs, besides 
her books and things. Can you find that out, too, 
Cathalina?” 

“I don’t see why I can’t,” said Cathalina with a 
smile. “And I’m sure if there is any fair way ill 
which Miss Randolph can help Virgie get through, 
she will.” 

“But don’t forget, Cathalina, that Virgie wants to 
do it herself.” 


130 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“If she has time to make enough of that candy 
and charge a good price for it, I don’t think she’ll 
need to do much else. That was the first candy to 
be ‘all gone’ at that little society bazaar we had.” 

“I’ll tell you what, Cathalina—you know she is 
going home with me at Christmas vacation. Well, 
we’ll get ahead and make up a lot of it to sell at the 
opening of the semester, when everybody has lots of 
money.” 

“Isabel is the business woman of the Psyche 
Club,” said Betty. 

“And Virginia is going to stay!” said Cathalina 
firmly. 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


131 




CHAPTER XI 

VIRGINIA GOES HUNT-ING 

It chanced that Virginia had never visited Isabel, 
though a visit had been planned more than once. All 
preparation had been made for Virgie to go home 
with Isabel and then go to camp with her, but it 
would have made extra railroad fare and there was 
such a short time between the close of school and the 
beginning of camp that Virginia gave it up. At 
the last minute, too, a letter from one of the boys 
announced that the aunt who kept house for them 
all was sick in bed. Hence it happened that when 
the girls talked about Virgie’s being with Isabel, 
they were mistaken. By different routes they had 
arrived at Merrymeeting at about the same time. 

“Bye, Baby Bunting, Virgie’s gone a-Hunting,” 
sang Lilian, standing by the ’bus as it started to 
move off with its load of girls. Lilian and Catha- 
lina were to leave for New York later in the day, 
taking a sleeper. 

Virginia laughed, waved her hand in final salute, 
and turned to Isabel. “You are Hope-ing, I sup¬ 
pose, Isabel.” 


132 


GEEYCLIFF HEROINES 


‘‘Yes; Hope-ing for a jolly vacation.” 

“Do you remember last Christmas at Hilary’s ? I 
am one lucky girl, after all.” 

“Christmas at our house won’t be anything like 
that, Virgie, but I hope that you will have a good 
time anyway. The boys are lots of fun, and we can 
do some different things, anyway, from the grind of 
lessons. It’s a real little town, and everybody knows 
everybody else. We are called ‘the Hunt boys and 
Isabel.’ ” 

“Never Isabel and the Hunt boys? Nor Isabel 
Hunt and the boys?” 

“Never.” 

“I am surprised. I supposed you were more im¬ 
portant than that!” 

“Not a bit of it. You see, I come in between the 
boys. This is the order, from the oldest down.” 
Isabel held up her gloved fingers. “Jim, aged twen¬ 
ty-four; William and Milton, twins, aged twenty; 
Lou, seventeen; Isabel, sixteen; Norman, thirteen, 
and Edwin, eleven. Jim is through school and in 
business with Father now, though he is planning 
something else, I guess. Slim and Shorty are work¬ 
ing their way through college, Lou is in the last 
year of high school, Norman and Ed in the grades. 
Norman goes into high school next year. Jim 
brought us all up.” 

“Jim! Where were your father and your aunt?” 

“I don’t wonder you exclaimed. But my daddy 


GKEYCLIFF HEROINES 


133 


had his hands full to get the daily bread for us all, 
and is easy going on discipline. Auntie is a dear, 
timid little soul. Some folks think that she is queer, 
but she is just old-fashioned and afraid of folks. 
She tried her best on me, but the boys were too much 
for her, so Jim took hold of the discipline and made 
us all behave. We knew if he said anything he 
meant it. Father would forget, and Auntie couldn’t 
make a flea mind, but Jim felt responsible, too. Once 
when I had been awfully rebellious about Jim’s in¬ 
terfering, as I thought, about something I wanted 
to do dreadfully, I talked it all out to Jim. Can’t 
you just imagine me, mad as could be, telling Jim 
that I didn’t think it was any of his affair and that 
I knew I could get Father to let me. It was terribly 
mean of me, for Jim had always petted me especially 
because I was the girl. Oh, he would tease me and 
make me do things, but he made a lot over me. 

“This time Jim gave up. ‘All right, Isabel,’ he 
said, ‘if that is the way you feel about it.’ Then he 
sat down in a chair, looking too forlorn, and stared 
out of the window. I was not expecting any such 
performance—thought I should be made to behave, 
as usual. I went out and banged the door, and then 
I felt so mean over it that I came back in, and there 
was Jim still sitting in the chair. And I love Jim 
next to Father, so I went up and peeked around the 
chair and said, ‘What’s the matter, Jim?’ He just 
held out his arms and I got in his lap and we made 


134 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


up, and Jim told me why he did not want me to do 
this. I listened to him this time, and then he told 
me that when our mother knew she could not live, 
when Edwin was a tiny baby, she asked Jim to help 
Father look after the children, especially me! I was 
scarcely five and Jim about thirteen then. Think of 
it! Poor Jim, with six children younger than he 
was! But then he has a perfectly lovely disposition, 
and is real jolly, too. I imagine it did not wear on 
him as much as you might think. I told you how 
he taught me to swim, didn’t I ?” 

“Yes.” 

“This time I must have been about ten years old. 
I told Jim that I was sorry and that I would stand 
by him. And so I have, especially with the younger 
boys.” 

“Which ones do you call Shorty and Slim?” 

“Will is Slim, and Milton is Shorty. I’ll not de¬ 
scribe any of the boys. You’ll get them all fixed 
without much trouble, I think. All the boys have 
nicknames, but you can get their real names first. I 
call them by their own names almost altogether 
now.” 

“I thought that you had never known your 
mother at all. But you must have been old enough 
fco remember her.” 

“It’s very hazy. Auntie had me away from home 
a good deal because my mother was not strong for 
several years before she died.” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 135 

I m thankful that my mother lived as long as she 
did, because I would not have been taught anything 
but what is rough and unkind by my stepmother. I 
helped my mother with everything and studied with 
her till she grew too ill. Then I did all the house¬ 
work till my father married again. We haven't a 
big house, though, and there was only Father except 
when there were men to help on the ranch. Then 
we hired somebody to help me." 

“How old were you then?" 

“Past fifteen." 

“You seemed like such a little thing last year 
when you first came." 

“I was sixteen, though, a whole year older than 
you. I've grown a good deal since last year. My 
clothes all had to be let out and down, you know." 

“I suppose it was because you were so thin, and 
then your hair was skinned back so tight-” 

“And my clothes were so funny." 

“Oh, I wouldn't say that. But really I am not so 
far from seventeen now. The ages I gave you were 
our last birthdays." 

Isabel and Virginia had been talking to each other 
all the way to Greycliff Village. Now they waked 
up to their surroundings enough to say goodbye to 
other girls, received their through tickets from the 
chaperoning teacher, and waited a short time for the 
train. This took them west instead of east, and was 
to land them in the little town at about eleven 



136 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


o’clock. As Virgie wanted to be as saving as possi¬ 
ble, they did not even take a Pullman. 4 ‘And what 
was the use?” said Isabel. <c We had no need of a 
sleeper—why go to bed for a few hours ? And they 
always make up the berths about nine or ten o’clock. 
I’d rather be in the ordinary coach, even if it is for 
nine or ten hours.” This was very good of Isabel, 
and the girls were so happy that nothing made much 
difference. Fortified with some magazines and a 
box of candy, they managed to put in the rest of the 
day very comfortably, taking their meals in the din¬ 
ing car. The wintry landscape was not unpleasing, 
and they were almost surprised when they found the 
end of the journey at hand. 

“Who will meet us?” asked Virginia. 

“Whoever happens to be at liberty. Probably Jim 
will come, but it might be Will or Milton, or both.” 

“Aren't you lucky to have so many brothers to 
look after you!” 

“I believe I am. It’s Jim—there he is!” 

Virginia glanced out of the window as the train 
was pulling into the station and the girls were gath¬ 
ering up their bags and magazines. “He looks a 

little like Isabel,” she thought, “but tall, rather-” 

The image of Jim in his blue every-day suit was 
blurred, and the girls hurried down the aisle to the 
door. 

“This is Virginia, Jim—my nice brother, Virgie. 
Where’s the machine?” 



GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


137 


Jim took the baggage from the girls, led them to 
where a Ford machine stood waiting, and tucked 
them and the bags within. “Wait till I see about the 
checks,” said he, and disappeared in the freight room 
of the small station. But he soon reappeared and 
they started on their way to Isabel’s. The streets 
were a mixture of mud and snow. It had been sleet¬ 
ing a little and Jim drove carefully through the main 
streets, past neat frame houses, with here and there 
one of brick, stone or stucco, till they reached a big, 
rambling old-time colonial house, set in a large yard. 

“We’ve never taken our fence down, like so many 
of the folks,” said Isabel, apologetically, as she 
pointed out the place and the low iron fence. “But 
we have all kinds of vines over it in the summer, 
clematis and ramblers and things. I was so disap¬ 
pointed not to have you here when the town looks 
pretty. Hilary would be delighted with our little 
orchard in bird time.” 

Out of the house came two hatless youths as the 
machine drew up to the curb. “Mercy—nothing on 
their heads this cold day!” exclaimed Virginia; but 
Isabel and Jim only smiled. 

“The twins, Virgie,” said Isabel, as she climbed 
out. Jim handed the bags to the smiling boys, Vir¬ 
gie was introduced to “Slim” and “Shorty,” and they 
were in the warm house in a jiffy. “I bungled most 
of my introductions, Virginia,” said Isabel. “Now 
see if I can properly present the boys to you.” 


138 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


All the boys had kept awake till Isabel and her 
friend should arrive, but Norman and Edwin, hav¬ 
ing satisfied their affection for Isabel and their curi¬ 
osity about Virginia, soon disappeared. Virgie 
placed them at once and was sure she would remem¬ 
ber which was which, and noted how like Isabel her 
next older brother, Lou, was. Jim she had met first, 
and had his appearance stored away in her mind. 
But she was puzzled about the twins. They looked 
alike, as twins do, though there was enough differ¬ 
ence, Virgie thought, to make distinction not too 
hard, but she was mixed on the introduction and 
thought that she would have to ask Isabel again. 
Will caught a puzzled look from her, and accus¬ 
tomed to the situation, called, “Come here, Shorty, 
I want to make sure that Miss Virgie knows us.” 

Virginia looked up at a tall, slim figure, taller than 
Jim, with merry brown eyes and slightly stooping 
shoulders. The boys laughed at her mystified look. 
“ ‘Shorty!’ ” she gasped. 

“Because he isn’t short, Virgie,” said Isabel. 
“Boys are that way.” 

“Then you are Will, and ‘Slim/ ” said Virginia, 
looking at Will’s sturdy proportions. 

“Exactly,” said he. “Milton is so studious that 
he is getting a trifle round-shouldered, but when he 
gets his growth we think that he will be all right.” 

“Milton’s getting his growth is another of our 
brilliant jokes,” explained Isabel. “He is over six 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


139 


feet now. Oh, here’s Father,” as a quiet, pleasant 
looking man came in with Jim, and embraced his 
daughter. “We’ll find Auntie upstairs, I suppose, 
seeing that the rooms are warm enough, and taking 
the bags to the right place herself, instead of letting 
Jim know where to put them.” 

It was not long before the family had said good¬ 
night and the girls were tucked away in Isabel’s 
room, big and airy in summer-time, but warm now 
from a furnace fire. Good, substantial walnut furni¬ 
ture, home-made book shelves, and clean window 
curtains were in evidence. “Do you like a big pil¬ 
low?” asked Isabel. 

“No, I’ll just sleep on the little one,” answered 
Virginia. Isabel took two large square pillows from 
the bed and dumped them on a chair. 

“Auntie insists on having these, for fear some¬ 
body might want them. The two little pillows, you 
see, take the place of a bolster. She has a bolster 
and even bigger pillows than these in her room. I 
don’t know whether she sleeps on them or not. Isn’t 
it funny the way different people do?” 

“I bought a baby pillow, you remember, to take to 
camp last summer.” 

“It makes you straight to sleep without any 
pillow.” 

“You know what the girls say about our pillows 
at school, don’t you ?” 


140 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“ ‘One feather in each, but if you double it it 
makes two P My, how sleepy I am!” 

Morning woke Virginia with a pleasant sense of 
being in family life. It was vacation for the boys 
as well. Jim and his father, who had no vacation 
from business, rose early, were served with break¬ 
fast by Auntie, and went on their way. The school 
people slept till a later hour. Virgie started up when 
she heard slight sounds, but Isabel told her to rest 
as long as she wanted to. “The arrangement is that 
we shall get our own breakfasts when we feel like it.” 

“What could be nicer?” replied Virgie as she sank 
back on her pillow. 

“We shall have cocoa, any kind of breakfast food 
that you want, some fruit, of course—and what else? 
I shall interview the pantry when I get up. If we 
stay in bed too late, of course, the boys may leave 
us scant choice.” 

“It is so funny to think of all those boys around. 
I can’t realize it. But I think that your brothers are 
as fine as can be. I’m not used to boys, and I sup¬ 
pose I shall seem terribly stupid about their jokes 
and all.” 

“I’ve learned to hold my own with them, but you 
need not worry. You are a guest and are not to be 
teased. You can just look pleasant at anything you 
don’t understand. Jim won’t do any teasing. He’s 
gotten past that age.” 

“I’ve heard that boys have ‘ages.’ ” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


141 


“Yes, they do. But Jim and Father would never 
stand for any horrid practical jokes—except just 
little ones, so I haven’t had such a terrible time, after 
all. Sometimes I think it’s pretty fine to have so 
many brothers. I always used to wish that one of 
them had been a sister, but I concluded that there 
wasn’t any of the boys that I could spare, anyhow, 
and if I had a sister she’d have to be extra. Then I 
went to Greycliff and at once had a lot of sisters! 
The Psyche Club supplies the lack!” 

The girls talked on till, thoroughly awake, they 
began to feel the pangs of hunger. “I believe I could 
eat a piece of hot toast and a scrambled egg,” said 
Isabel. “How about you, Virgie?” Virginia ac¬ 
knowledged that the suggestion was pleasing. It 
was not long before the girls were down in the big 
kitchen with Aunt Helen, who seemed pleased to 
have them there, and started to the pantry to bring 
out something for their breakfast. 

“Remember the rules we made about vacations, 
Aunt Helen. Except in cases of sickness, late comers 
get their own breakfast.” 

“But we have company,” protested Aunt Helen. 

“Virgie isn’t company. I promised her to treat 
her like one of the family. Here, Virginia, you can 
cut the bread while I hunt up the butter and things.” 

Isabel flew around capably, putting some puffed 
wheat in dishes, setting out the cream, cutting some 
oranges in two, setting out a bottle of milk and the 


142 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


can of cocoa. “What do you suppose we girls are 
so crazy about cocoa for?” 

“I imagine it’s because it’s so much like chocolate 
candy.” 

“Good morning,” said somebody. 

“What do you think of that!” exclaimed Isabel. 
“Here are Will and Milton down for breakfast, too. 
I’ll be good to them and ask them to have breakfast 
with us. We’ll all eat our fruit and cereal together 
as soon as I get the cocoa made. Then I’ll scramble 
the eggs while you or the boys make the toast and 
everything will be hot. We’ll want two cups of 
cocoa, won’t we?” 

“Four of everything, please,” said Milton, his tall 
form appearing in the door. 

“I meant two cups apiece, Milt,” replied his sister. 
“You and Will are invited to take breakfast with us. 
Please get the electric toaster ready. Yes, I believe 
I would cut a few more pieces, Virginia. You don’t 
know how it disappears in this family, and when we 
make it right at the table it is so good and hot. That 
is one thing we have in this town, electricity, if we 
haven’t natural gas to cook with. In the summer we 
use coal-oil stoves, and fireless cookers.” 

“Isn’t she the little talker, though,” asked Milton. 
“My, but it’s been quiet here till today.” 

“Quiet!” said Aunt Helen. 

“That’s right, Aunt Helen, stand up for me a lit¬ 
tle,” said the dimpling Isabel. Aunt Helen was mak- 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


143 


ing mince for the Christmas pies and stood at the 
stove stirring her savory mixture. She smiled in 
her demure way and stirred in a few more raisins. 

“Going to have any pumpkin pies, Aunt Helen ?” 
inquired Will. 

“We always have them, you know,” replied his 
aunt. 

“Tell us if there are any plans for a good time 
this week,” said Isabel, looking at her brothers. 
“Please watch this cocoa a minute, Virgie. I have 
to get some more milk.” 

“We have only been here two or three days our¬ 
selves,” said Will. 

“Don’t tease your little sister,” said Milton. “Tell 
her what we are going to do.” By this time the 
breakfast was nearly enough ready for the young 
people to sit down, a progressive breakfast, as Isabel 
said. 

“What is it?” asked Isabel as she passed the 
cream. 

“The boys are going to get up an old-fashioned 
sled party, going out to Effie Smith’s, in the coun¬ 
try, Virginia.” 

“How can you with the roads as they are?” 

“Cold weather is predicted, Isabel. Didn’t you 
feel how much colder it was?” 

“It was cold enough, but you have to have snow.” 

“The blizzard is obligingly on its way. We’re 


144 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


going to have frozen roads, plenty of snow, and 
clearing weather for the trip. Mark my words!” 

A rapid step on the stairs, dash through the hall, 
and Lou Hunt was in the dining room. “Come on, 
Lou,” said Isabel cheerily. “Room for one more. 
Cocoa on the stove.” Lou spoke his morning greet¬ 
ings to Virginia, cut another orange, filled a dish 
with cereal, a cup with hot cocoa, and sat down next 
to Virginia. The two other boys were opposite the 
girls, and Will pushed some extra silver over to Lou. 

The informal, jolly ways of the family delighted 
Virgie. She listened to the bright comments of the 
boys, putting in a word or two when addressed. 
Will told how the daughter of the local magnate was 
going to give a party and had invited the older Hunt 
boys and Isabel. At Will’s expression the girls ex¬ 
changed glances, and Isabel said, “See, Virgie, there 
it is, ‘the Hunt boys and Isabel!’ ” 

“I told her that one of the Greycliff girls was 
coming and she immediately extended the invitation 
to Virginia.” 

“Oh, how good of her!” said Virginia, delighted. 

“Effie has sent out regular invitations. Yours is 
on the mantel in the sitting room, Isabel. We for¬ 
got to give your mail to you last night. She found 
out that the boys were thinking of it, so got up these 
cute invitations. They say, ‘Ye Old Time Sledding 
Party’ and runs on in a quaint way, leaving the date 
unsettled till snow time. Her brother is going to call 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


145 


tip the boys when the snow is right and they are 
ready for us.” 

“Meanwhile,” said Milton, “it is up to us to get 
our girls engaged ahead. May I have the pleasure 
of your company, Miss Hope?” 

“Listen to that!” exclaimed Will, while Virgie 
looked, surprised and flushing a little at this invita¬ 
tion. “I was going to ask her myself. This is no 
place to ask a girl to a party—at the breakfast table 
before the rest of us are awake!” 

“I believe in efficiency,” said Milton, offering 
Virgie a piece of hot toast. “Make your plans early 
and lose no time in carrying them out.” 

A great clatter was heard on the stairs. Whiz! 
Norman slid down the bannisters and Edwin fol¬ 
lowed. In a moment Norman appeared, and Edwin’s 
delicate face was thrust inside the door as he peeped 
at the girls. 

“Come on in, Edwin,” said Isabel. “Norman, I 
thought you were too old to slide down bannisters.” 

“Seems to me I remember a girl that did it not 
so very long ago,” said Norman, who had already 
greeted Virginia. 

“That was before I went to Greycliff and learned 
better.” 

The others were through with their late breakfast, 
but Isabel waited to help Aunt Helen prepare some¬ 
thing for the two younger boys, while Will, Milton 
and Lou accompanied Virginia into the sitting room. 


146 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


This was a new experience to Virginia, “so many 
boys all nice to her at once/’ as she said to Isabel. 
Milton, who remembered Isabel’s early description 
of Virginia, said to her in private, “Why didn’t you 
tell us she was good-looking?” 

“Why, I never thought about her looks. But she 
certainly has changed from when she came to Grey- 
cliff. She was half sick then, and her clothes didn’t 
fit her. Now she is happy, and well, and her hair is 
glossy and thick. I believe Virgie is almost pretty,” 

“She looks as if she had some sense. I like her. 
But I did that on purpose to get ahead of old Will.” 

“Don’t worry. Virgie isn’t going to think you 
are in love with her because you ask her to a party. 
I told her you would all be good to her and I knew 
I could count on you to make her have a good time.” 

“She shall have it,” said Milton as he went off 
whistling. 

Virginia had intended to keep a little diary of 
events on her visit. But they moved too quickly for 
that. The snow came that had been promised by 
the weather man. Bundled in wraps, robes and hay, 
the gay sled load of young folks sped to their desti¬ 
nation in the country, to the tune of sleigh bells. The 
party in town came off duly, a day or two before 
Christmas. The boys had been making skiis in the 
wood-shed and kitchen and Virginia and Isabel had 
had their suspicions. Sure enough, on Christmas 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


147 


morning each girl had a fine pair, marked “Christ¬ 
mas greetings from the boys. ,, 

It was hard to leave such a home full of cheer and 
Virginia was especially pleased to have Mr. Hunt tell 
her how much it had added to their Christmas-time 
to have her with them. Every boy was at the train 
to see them off to Greycliff again. “Promise to come 
back next summer,” said Milton. 

“If I can,” Virginia assured him. “Oh, Isabel,” 
said she, as the train carried them farther and farther 
away, “what a wonderful time I have had!” 

“What did you like best?” asked Isabel. 

“The folks, and the nice times you all have to¬ 
gether. The parties were just great, but I liked the 
times in the kitchen when we were cracking nuts or 
making candy. Your brothers are handy at every¬ 
thing.” 

“We’ve had to help Aunt Helen so much. Father 
and Jim made us in the beginning. Now we hire 
help, though, to come in and do the heavy cleaning. 
But it takes so much money to keep me at Greycliff 
and help the two boys through college. Lou will go 
next year, you know.” 

“It was such a help to talk with them about things 
I could do to help out with my funds.” Virginia 
thought, too, with satisfaction, of the boxes of home¬ 
made candy which were on their way to Greycliff 
by the same train. 


148 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“You couldn’t do the things they do, of course, 
but it is fun to talk it over.” 

“That recipe of your Aunt Helen’s is better than 
mine for the nut candy. I think the candy will keep 
soft longer. I feel as if I ought to pay her for it.” 

“She was so glad to have a hand in it. Now we 
are going to charge enough for this candy to make 
what we ought to on it. Now, remember, and don’t 
get soft-hearted and give it away. I say ‘we,’ even 
if you would insist on buying all the materials. You 
see I’m interested in this business of yours.” 

“You forget all those hickory nuts and walnuts 
that Milton insisted on cracking and picking out. I 
think that Edwin and Norman gathered most of 
them, didn’t they?” 

“Yes, but they had such a lot that they would 
never get eaten. They don’t make candy except 
when I’m home. Oh, once in a while Aunt Helen 
does. But it isn’t good for Edwin, and we have to 
be so careful about him. I’m afraid he will be sick 
after our Christmas celebrations.” 

“I hope not. Well, I’ll remember, Isabel, at least 
about this particular candy, that it is very valuable, 
and charge enough to the girls. This candy repre¬ 
sents a great deal more than just sugar and nuts!” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


149 


CHAPTER XII 

WITH THE NORTHS 

Lilian scarcely knew how to feel about these 
vacation days. It was so strange not to be going 
back to the old home. Yet she was happy, too, to 
be entering the new experience of a home in the same 
city with Cathalina, to say nothing of Philip, whom 
she would see at this holiday time. Judge and Mrs. 
North had taken an apartment temporarily, perhaps 
permanently, though both were missing the freedom 
and space of their former home. It was, however, 
much easier for Mrs. North to look after a compact 
apartment than the big two-story and attic place 
which had been theirs for so many years. 

“It seems that I never can have a visit from you, 
Lil,” said Hilary, on the day of departure from Grey- 
cliff. “Last year it was one thing; this year some¬ 
thing else. ,, 

“Mother scarcely had any visit with me last sum¬ 
mer, you know,” said Lilian. 

“Yes, I know, and there are other attractions in 
New York as well,’’ and Hilary looked at Lilian with 
a quizzical little smile. 


150 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“I understand that somebody nice is coming to 
Cincinnati, too,” said Lilian. 

“Maybe,” assented Hilary. “Campbell said that 
he was trying hard to plan it. He will just stop off, 
you know.” 

“Oh, certainly—just accidentally call around, as 
it were.” 

Hilary laughed. “Not very accidentally, I guess.” 

“Ready, Lilian?” called Cathalina. “There is the 
’bus.” 

“Coming!” 

Arrived in New York, the girls found two 
brothers to meet them, Richard North and Philip 
Van Buskirk, with Phil’s car. Phil was driving, and 
it must be confessed that he paid more attention to 
Lilian than to Cathalina, whom he left to Richard, 
putting Lilian next to himself in the car. Richard 
and Cathalina exchanged an amused glance, then 
dismissed Lilian and Philip from their thoughts and 
had a good visit, while Richard told Cathalina about 
the North affairs and his good success in the office. 

“I think that I am in luck,” said he, “to step into 
a firm in this city with every chance of making good. 
And you may be interested in knowing that we have 
our eyes on another young man. He has been read¬ 
ing with another lawyer a little, but we think that we 
may be able to offer sufficient inducement to get him 
to come with us.” Richard’s lips curved into a smile. 
How he enjoyed using that “we”! And Cathalina 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


151 


was all interest, for she knew a young man who was 
studying law, going to law school when he could, 
or reading with a lawyer. 

“Of course Dad and his old friends will be in the 
game for a long time, but they want a pair of us 
young chaps, and I’d like to work with Van Horne. ,, 

“Captain Van Horne!” 

“Yes. I met him at your house, you know.” 

“I’ve only seen him a few times since school began, 
and he didn’t say anything about it.” 

“He doesn’t know it, but I feel that he will con¬ 
sider it an opportunity, and if he comes to New 
York on his vacation, I’ll have him meet my father 
and his friend.” 

“Is your other sister coming to spend Christmas 
with you? Lilian said that no one had mentioned 
it, nor answered her questions about it.” 

“We have been so busy that I judge Mother hasn’t 
written very fully to anybody, and I have not writ¬ 
ten at all. No, it is too far to bring the kiddies in 
cold weather, and there is a little baby this year.” 

Philip, meanwhile, was making arrangements to 
see as much as possible of Lilian during the vaca¬ 
tion. “I don’t know how many family parties they 
are arranging for this time,” Philip was saying, “but 
unless you are invited, too, I don’t expect to be 
among those present. Now, have you any special 
plans for your time?” Philip was watching the traf¬ 
fic, but his voice was eager. 


152 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“No, I haven’t, Philip, except to be with Father 
and Mother and Dick on Christmas Day, and go to 
church with them on Sundays.” 

“Good. Now, could you let me take you to a lot 
of things that are going on ? There is some music 
that I know you will enjoy. Suppose I come over 
this evening with the ‘program/ and let you make 
the dates ahead.” 

Lilian turned to look at Philip and met a glance 
that made her drop her eyes. “Do come, Phil,” she 
said, “I shall be delighted to see you.” 

“Pm glad you didn’t say ‘we,’ Lilian,” replied 
Philip. “And I’d really like to carry you off some¬ 
where tonight, for some ices and cake or something 
—anything, you know, so we can talk. After I’ve 
seen the family, of course. Are you too tired ?” 

“No, indeed. I think it’s lovely of you to want to 
make me have such a good time.” 

“I’m not altogether unselfish, Lilian,” said Philip 
with a laugh. “I’ve been looking forward to this 
vacation. I enjoyed having you at our house, but 
there were so many other people around that I had 
to play host to. Now there isn’t anybody else?” 

“Where is Ann Maria?” asked Lilian, mischiev¬ 
ously. 

“At Aunt Katherine’s, as usual. Why, Lilian!” 
exclaimed Philip, as he began to understand the 
meaning of her question. “Did you—do you think 
I care especially for Ann Maria?” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


153 


But before Lilian could answer that question, 
Cathalina leaned forward with some remark to 
Philip, and then they had arrived in front of the 
apartment building. Saying to both Lilian and Dick 
that he planned to “run over” in the evening, Philip 
drove off with Cathalina to the Van Buskirk home, 
where welcome waited for Cathalina. 

Lilian’s heart was not beating in quite normal 
fashion as Philip asked that last question, but as she 
rode up in the elevator with Dick she put the matter 
temporarily out of her mind, and prepared to meet 
her dear people. 

“Oh, what a dear apartment!” she exclaimed, 
after the first greetings were over. “And here are 
all our nice old things, Father’s law books and all, 
and grandmother’s old mahogany. Why, it seems 
like home, after all. I guess home is chiefly folks 
and a few of the things you love. And it will be so 
easy to do things here.” 

“I found a good woman to come twice a week, 
and the rest I shall do myself. Come, see the new 
gas range; and Father and Dick have brought in all 
sorts of electrical utensils, toaster, grill—here they 
are. But when you have rested, I want to hear you 

• 99 

sing. 

“Oh, yes. You know I could not keep away from 
the piano, my beloved piano!—and I have all sorts 
of pretty new things. Some of them my teacher 
gave me, and some of them I just picked up from 


154 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


bearing what the other girls sang. Eloise and I have 
been getting some pretty duets. I thought perhaps 
Philip and I might sing together, too.” 

“Has Philip written to you steadily, Lilian ?” 
asked her mother. 

“Yes, about every week.” 

“You are pretty young, daughter, for anything 
serious.” 

“Yes, I know it.” 

“Are you sure that it may not be Philip's fine 
home, and stylish clothing, and the free way in which 
he can spend money that are attractive ?” 

“Mother, Philip would be himself, wouldn’t he, 
if he didn’t have those things? And Phil is really 
gifted. The first minute we met we began to talk 
and haven’t it all said yet. He plays wonderfully, 
and I guess he could make a living at that if he didn’t 
have any money. Then he has so much good sense, 
too, and is so interested in his father’s business. He 
asked me to let him write an accompaniment for that 
little lullaby I made up, and sang for them last sum¬ 
mer, and I’m just crazy to try it. He has it finished, 
he says. Just wait till you see him. He is coming 
over to see me tonight. Or perhaps you have met 
him?” 

“No. Mrs. Van Buskirk told me that he would 
arrive last night. We were invited out there last 
week. I shall be glad to see the boy who is so in- 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


155 


trested in my little girl, but I scarcely know what to 
think about it, Lilian/’ 

“I don’t believe you need worry, Mother. But I 
like Philip, better than any boy I know. And he 
seems so grown up now.” 

“This is his last year in college, isn’t it?” 

“Yes; and he told me last summer that if we get 
into the war he has promised his father to finish out 
the year anyway. Have you met Mrs. Van Ness and 
the Stuarts and the rest ?” 

“Yes, a number of the relatives. We put our 
letters in the church, too, and have met some fine 
people there. But I have been so busy getting settled 
that I have had time to think of little else. Several 
times Mrs. Van Buskirk has telephoned and brought 
the car around for me. We had lunch together, and 
went shopping for the apartment. She is charm¬ 
ing.” 

“Indeed she is, and I know she is thinking the 
same thing of you. Just wait till I see her. About 
the first thing she will say is, 'My dear, what a lovely 
woman your mother is!’ ” 

Mrs. North laughed. “I am considerably older 
than she, I think.” 

“I don’t know about that. You may be a grand¬ 
mother, but I scarcely think that our Margery is so 
much older than Philip.” 

“Oh, yes, Lilian. Margery is twenty-five, and has 
been married four years.” 


156 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“That is only a few years older, anyhow. She 
seems older because of the three babies.” 

“Evening came, and Philip. Lilian did not know 
just where she might be taken, but dressed for eve¬ 
ning and laid out her pretty new evening wrap, over 
which she had gone into raptures. It was to have 
been a Christmas present, but learning of Philip’s 
plans for Lilian, Mrs. North had decided to give it 
in advance. For a cruel parent, who did not approve 
of anything serious in the line of love and marriage 
for Lilian in the near future, Mrs. North was taking 
a great deal of interest! “But if you are going 
around so much this vacation, I suppose you will 
need it now,” she said. 

Although Philip was so accustomed to meeting 
people, he felt some measure of embarrassment when 
he met Lilian’s parents. Judge North he knew, 
and Dick, but Mrs. North would appraise him, he 
felt, as he came to call upon her daughter so def¬ 
initely. However, he intended to make a general 
visit as well, and in the pleasant atmosphere of hos¬ 
pitality, with many things in common as subjects of 
conversation, Philip’s embarrassment soon passed. 
Lilian’s piano, newly tuned, had to be tried, and 
Philip surprised Mrs. North, as people were wont to 
be surprised when they heard him play. Dick left 
soon to meet an engagement, and as Philip finished 
the accompaniment he was playing for Lilian, he 
whispered, “Shall we go?” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


157 


“We are leaving, now, folks/’ announced Lilian, 
bowing to her father’s applause. “Did you like that, 
Father?’’—starting to get her wraps as she spoke. 

It was the little electric coupe that was parked 
outside. “Isn’t this fine!” exclaimed Philip as he 
tucked the robes around Lilian. “Are we really by 
ourselves going off somewhere? Where would you 
like to go?” 

“I haven’t an idea,” said Lilian. “Anywhere.” 

“That is the way I feel about it,” said Philip, “only 
in a different degree, I fear me. As long as I have 
you, the place is immaterial. And before we start I 
want to ask you what you meant by asking me where 
Ann Maria was. And you did not answer my ques¬ 
tion.” 

“I couldn’t, you know.” 

“Yes, I know. But you will answer me now, 
won’t you?” 

“Let me see; what was it?” 

Philip hesitated. “Some way, I think you know, 
don’t you ? I asked you if you thought that I cared 
for Ann Maria.” 

“You said ‘especially’.” 

“Yes, I thought you would remember!” 

“I have been trying to think, Philip, how I would 
answer that. Because, you see, I should not have 
asked the first question. I did think, Philip,” con¬ 
tinued Lilian, honestly, “that you must care for her, 


158 GREYCLIFF HEROINES 

or that there had been some special affection between 
you.” 

“Was it anything that I did?” asked Philip. 

“It was more her manner, a sort of taking pos¬ 
session of you. But I must apologize for referring 
to it at all. It isn’t any of my affair.” 

“Oh, it isn’t?” said Philip hopelessly. “Then you 
didn’t suppose I meant anything when I talked to 
you in the pine grove at Merrymeeting, or other 
times ?” 

“I—I didn’t know—what to think about it all.” 

“Cathalina could have told you all about Ann 
Maria.” 

“I didn’t ask her.” 

“Didn’t you care enough ?” 

“Oh, Philip, can’t you understand how a girl 
feels? I couldn’t!” 

“I could; I asked Cathalina all about those boys in 
your home town, and at the military school.” 

“That is very different.” 

“I haven’t gone at it in the right way, I suppose. 
But you are a friend of mine anyhow, aren’t you ?” 

“I should think I am!” Lilian laughed. 

“As far as Ann Maria is concerned, I never have 
made love to Ann Maria and never shall, but that’s 
what I am trying to do to you! I thought at first 
that I ought not to do it. I thought your father and 
mother would not like to have you in love with me, 
and perhaps I ought not to try to make you like me. 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


159 


Then the prospect of our getting into the war made 
me think so all the more. But, Lilian, I can’t stand 
it. If I go to war and get all shot up I’ll not let you 
marry me, but I must know whether you can love 
me a little or not. You are the only girl on earth 
for me, and I want a chance to be with you this week. 
I’m asking you to marry me, sweetheart, and I want 
you to think it over and let me know before the 
vacation is over.” Philip’s earnest eyes looked into 
Lilian’s. He evidently had no idea of the high re¬ 
gard in which Lilian held him, for he spoke as if she 
might have to consider the matter of her affections 
for some time. 

“You take my breath away, Philip,” said Lilian. 

“Yes?” inquired Philip. “I’d like to run away 
with you this minute.” he added. “But the idea of 
an elopement might not strike you!” Philip had 
started the little car by this time, and they rolled 
easily along. “I’m taking you to a quiet little 
French place where we shall have good things to 
eat and fine service.” 

Over the little table where they sat a long time to 
visit, Lilian said: “Philip, since you have said so 
much tonight, and put an end to some of my worries, 
I want to tell you that you need not be so humble 
about my liking you.” 

“Lilian!” exclaimed Philip under his breath, his 
eyes lighting up. 


160 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“Yes, I believe I’ll tell you how horribly; jealous 
I’ve been of Ann Maria.” 

“Honestly? Was that why some of your letters 
were so cool ?” 

“Were they ? Yes, I suppose so. I’ve trusted you 
most of the time, though.” 

“And you do altogether now?” 

“Oh, yes. But you are right about the folks. I’m 
afraid Mother will think I’m too young to be en¬ 
gaged to you.” 

“But how about you, Lilian?” 

“I seem to feel pretty grown up, Philip.” 

“What does that mean?” 

“I can’t imagine any one, Philip, as fine as you 
are, and in spite of all the common sense I’ve tried 
to bring to bear upon the subject, thinking that per¬ 
haps you did not care for me anyhow, and that 
Father and Mother would say I couldn’t be married 
for a long, long time—some way-” Lilian hesi¬ 

tated and blushed, while Philip leaned toward 
her in anxious anticipation. “Please don’t stop,” he 
urged whimsically. 

“Well, Philip,” Lilian continued soberly, “we 
seem to belong to each other, just naturally. And I 
will confess, too, that the best thing about this vaca¬ 
tion was that I should see you again!” 

“Lilian!” exclaimed Philip again. They were 
talking in undertones, while playing with their fast 
melting ice-cream, for the room was warm, if it was 




GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


161 


winter outside. “I had no idea that I was going to 
be made so happy this first night of your coming. I 
thought perhaps I could persuade you, if I tried hard 
enough! Indeed, I have had the feeling that we 
belonged to each other, but I scarcely hoped that it 
might be mutual. Will you have something else?” 
The waiter was approaching again. 

“Nothing more,’’ said Lilian. 

“Eve something to show you when we get in the 
car,” said Philip, as with grace he ushered out his 
lady love. “Oh—I believe I’ll wait till we get home. 
There is too much to say. You are the most won- 
derful girl not to keep me worrying all week.” 

“When you love people, you don’t want them to 
be unhappy,” said Lilian. 

When they reached the apartment house again 
and the car was drawn up to the curb, Philip reached 
in his pocket, drew out a little package and slowly 
opened it. He took out something, while Lilian 
gasped in astonishment. “You will think me rather 
assured of the final outcome, I am afraid, but I 
wanted to persuade myself that it would be all right, 
you see. I went into Tiffany’s yesterday. Now the 
hand, Lilian.” 


162 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


CHAPTER XIII 

THE RING 

When Lilian entered the apartment at the hall 
door, she peeped into the front room and saw her 
father working at his desk. Her mother had evi¬ 
dently retired. She knew better than to disturb her 
father when he was working on a case. He would 
be patient, but it was a real interruption at such 
times. She only tapped gently on the door, saying, 
“Good-night, Father, I’m in,” and waited till he 
turned his head, nodded and smiled, and turned 
again to his work. “I’m afraid he will forget, as 
he does sometimes, and then Mother will wake up 
and ask him if I’m in. I believe I’ll leave my wraps 
inside the door—there. If anybody does any prowl¬ 
ing around, they’ll see my wraps.” With which un¬ 
grammatical remark, Miss North retired to her 
room, but not to sleep—yet. She had been so en¬ 
grossed in the words and presence of her lover 
that she had not yet half looked at the ring, though 
she had seen that it was beautiful. Turning on her 
light, she held up her hand with the flashing gem 
upon it. “Oh, you dear Philip boy,” she said, “to 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


163 


get that exquisite thing for me!” But Lilian was 
big enough to value more than the clear diamond 
the sincere love of the giver, and slipped into her 
warm nest under the blankets to lie awake a long 
time, and go over the new, sweet story that Philip 
had told her once and again. Her little prayer was 
one of gratitude and her last thought was, “I shall 
see Philip tomorrow.” 

In the morning, Mrs. North tapped on Lilian’s 
door and came in to visit with her. Lilian gave her 
mother a warm hug and then slipped her left hand 
into her mother’s. “Look!” said she. 

“Oh, Lilian—just what I was afraid of!” 

“Is it so dreadful, Mother?” 

“Oh, no, my child, but you are so young to be 
engaged.” 

“Not if you are sure, Mother. Besides we do not 
intend to be married for some time. I am not so 
terribly young, either. And I don’t see what possible 
objection you could have to Philip.” 

Mrs. North smiled. “I liked him very much. He 
is unusually attractive, and his face is good as well 
as handsome.” 

“That’s a dear mother! But I accepted the ring. 
Mother, with the understanding that if you and 
Father felt too bad about it I would not wear it, and 
we would not announce the engagement. But we 
can’t help caring for each other. I tried not to, be¬ 
cause I thought Philip liked Ann Maria; and he was 


164 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 



so polite to everybody that I thought his attentions to 
me might not mean anything.” 

‘Well, little girl, I’ll talk to your father, and see 
what he says. It was very dear of you to be willing 
to wait in regard to the ring, and the acknowledged 
engagement.” Mrs. North kissed Lilian, patted the 
little hand that wore the ring, and went out to talk 
to her husband. 

“What do you think, Father?” 

The judge considered a moment. “How old is 
Lilian?” 

“Eighteen last month. And girls aren’t as grown 
up now as they used to be.” 

“Oh, yes, they are. They just go to school longer. 
Well, Mother, Fd rather this hadn’t happened right 
now, of course. On the other hand, this young fel¬ 
low has the qualities that would always appeal to 
Lilian; he is a good, clean boy, and will have means 
enough to support her. A father always has to 
think of that, you know. He is going into business 
with his father, unless that war over in Europe 
finally gets all our young men. It looks as if we 
should be in it pretty soon. How do you think Lilian 
would feel if she were not engaged to Philip and he 
goes to France?” 

“She would probably be better satisfied to be 
openly engaged to him, for she seems to care for 
him so much. But how is one to know!” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


165 


How does anybody know ? How old were you 
when we were married, Mother?” 

“Twenty.” 

“And we had been engaged a year. This is not 
so much worse, is it?” 

“No, I suppose not.” 

“You talk it over with Lilian, Mother. Whatever 
you decide is acceptable to me. I like the young 
man and the family, and we do not want to spoil 
Lilian’s happiness. On the other hand, I do not like 
long engagements, if they can be avoided. Lilian 
has two or three years of school, Philip this one, and 
then business—or war.” 

“So the learned judge wants his wife to decide 
after all.” 

“Yes. I get enough experience in that line.” 

At breakfast they all talked on general topics* 
Dick had had Louise Van Ness out to a concert the 
night before, and reported on the program, asking 
Lilian where she and Philip had gone. Plans for 
Christmas and New Year’s were discussed. Lilian 
had taken off the ring before coming to the table. 
No need to tell Dick until the matter was decided. 
Judge North and Richard departed for the city in 
due time, while Lilian and her mother were making 
the “house” neat. Lilian told her mother the latest 
news from Greycliff, with much interesting chatter 
about the Psyche Club, Virgie’s plans, the class work, 
and other activities. Very sweet and womanly was 


166 GREYCLIFF HEROINES 

Lilian this morning. Finally, each found some bit 
of Christmas handwork to do, and sat down in the 
living room to discuss the important topic. 

“I am trying to think it out, Lilian,” said Mrs. 
North. “I think that you know how I feel about it. 
We realize that it is important and serious to you 
both, and something about which you will finally 
decide yourselves. And both your father and I ap¬ 
preciate your fine attitude of consulting with us, and 
listening to our advice for the present. Your hap¬ 
piness and welfare are our first concern. Do you 
think that if you wear the ring this one happy week 
among the relatives, you could lay it off during the 
rest of the school year at Greycliff? I feel pretty 
sure that Miss Randolph would prefer it. I want 
you to be a real school girl this year, yet now it is 
too late to go back to the old relation with Philip. 
Do you think that you can get your lessons as well ?” 

“Oh, yes! I’ll not be worrying about Ann Maria 
now, especially if I may wear the ring here!” 

Lilian had scarcely finished her sentence when the 
telephone sounded, and she dropped her work into 
her chair while she ran to answer it. There was 
somebody at the other end of the line who brought 
out a pleased smile on Lilian’s face as she listened. 
“Oh, yes, we are up, and just sitting working on 
Christmas things. How can I answer that over the 
telephone? Yes, I think you’d better come over at 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


167 


once. All right, wait a minute—Mother, can we go 
out to lunch with Philip?” 

“Most happy,” said her mother. 

“Yes, Philip, she will; says ‘Most happy/ Yes, 
it is pretty nearly all right. Come over and talk to 
her about it. Very well. Goodbye.” 

Lilian came back smiling mischievously. “I told 
him to come over and talk it over with you. He is 
afraid to do it, I know.” 

“Naughty child, you know that I can’t say any¬ 
thing disagreeable to him.” 

“You won’t want to. Philip Van Buskirk is war¬ 
ranted to melt the hardest heart.” 

“Yours, my daughter, was not hard to begin 
with!” 

“It was adamant to every suitor till Philip ap¬ 
peared on the scene! Picture, if you can, the m ; d- 
Victorian Lilian scorning her suitors, but fainting 
in the arms of the true hero.” 

“What is the name of your melodrama?” 

“The Cruel Parent, or the Fate of Lilian North.” 

Lilian was her gay self. Philip was coming. Her 
parents liked him, however doubtful they might be 
of the wisdom of an engagement. There would be 
more than a week to which to wear the beautiful 
ring. This itself would announce to the circle of 
Philip’s relatives the new relation. Then she and 
Philip could write during the months of separation, 
while they finished the school year. There would 


163 GREYCLIFF HEROINES 

be vacations and all sorts of good times ahead. 
What a lovely world—for Philip loved her! 

It took a little courage on Philip’s part to arrange 
this luncheon, but no effort was too great to win and 
please Lilian’s mother. Cathalina had heard him 
telephoning, the last few sentences, as she came into 
the library where he was. “Wasn’t that Lilian?” 
she asked. 

“Yes, dear sister; I am inviting Mrs. and Miss. 
North to go out to lunch with me.” 

“Not going to ask us, too?” asked Cathalina, a 
little surprised. 

“Not this time, Kit; the combination w r ould be 
too much under the circumstances.” 

“What do you mean, Philly?” 

“I’ll tell you. Come over here, Cathalina.” 

Philip led Cathalina to the window-seat where he 
and Lilian had visited more than once, during the 
house-party of the previous summer. 

“Cathalina, I asked Lilian to marry me last 
night.” 

“Oh, Philip. And did she say she would?” 

“Yes, but she wasn’t sure what her father and 
mother would think about her being engaged so 
young. She has heard them discuss those matters. 
I don’t know what she has said to her mother about 
it, and, of course, her father will not be home until 
night; but I couldn’t stand it to wait, so I called up 
and asked Lilian and her mother to go to lunch with 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


169 


me. Don’t you hope Mrs. North will be good 
to me?” 

“Don’t worry. She will, I’m sure. Does Mother 
know?” 

“I told her the other day that I was in love with 
Lilian, but I think that it was no news to her. I 
suppose she saw it last summer.” 

“Were you really, Philip, last summer?” 

“Indeed I was.” 

“It is so dear of you to tell me about it. I thought 
when you asked me about whether Lilian cared much 
for those other boys that you must care a good deal, 
and I have been so glad that Lilian liked you. I 
could tell.” 

“That was more than I could. But it’s all right 
now. How will you like Lilian for a sister?” 

“She is lovely, and we girls that live with her 
know. You are both crazy about music, and both— 
Oh, everything is perfect about it. I’m crazy to see 
her. But I don’t wonder you want to have them to 
lunch alone till you know how you stand with Mrs. 
North. Are you going to tell Mother about it?” 

“Right away, before I go.” 

“That is good—I think that she will be pleased.” 

“Mothers are not always so pleased, but she likes 
Lilian; she told me so.” 

The luncheon went off successfully, Philip and 
Mrs. North feeling a little more at home together. 
That evening, also, Philip appeared again at the 


170 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


apartment, and Judge North took his hand at the 
door. Putting his other hand on Philip’s shoulder, 
he asked. “Is this the young man that wants to marry 
my little girl?” 

“Yes, sir,” said Philip promptly and with dignity. 

“Well, you could do worse!” concluded the judge, 
to Philip’s astonishment and amusement. The judge 
laughed, too, saying, “Here, Lilian, tell him what 
your mother’s conclusions are. We men have small 
chance, Philip, small chance,” and Judge North 
shook his head, pretending to be very solemn. 

Lilian had her wraps at hand, for Philip was tak¬ 
ing her to an entertainment. It was to be Broad¬ 
way tonight. 

Cathalina was over the next morning. The girls 
had an exciting visit in Lilian’s room, talking over 
the great event, looking at the ring which expressed 
so much, and recalling past incidents. 

“Do you remember that time when Philip arrived 
at camp just in time to see you beat me in tennis ?” 

“Yes, I do.” 

“Campbell told me then that Phil had a difficult 
problem on his hands, choosing between his sister 
and Test girl,’ but he thought that the Test girl’ 
stood first.” 

“You don’t care, do you, Cathalina?” 

“Not a bit. It is different, Lilian. Now I might 
fall in love myself, you know. And I’ll have Phil 
for a brother to be proud of always. This is so 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


171 


romantic; but you ought to have a great deal more 
of trouble, to have it like a story, you know.” 

“Eve had all the worries I want, Cathalina Van 
Buskirk, and it is terrible that I can’t wear his ring 
all the time!” 

“But just think what a sensation it will make at 
the Christmas gathering at our house.” 

“Am I going to be there?” 

“Of course you are. Aren’t you going to be in 
the family? Two years ago when Hilary was visit¬ 
ing me, Cousin John had his sweetheart there. And 
I know a secret about Christmas, too. Phil told me. 
If you can’t wear a ring because it marks you as 
engaged, you can wear something else, can’t you?” 

“Why, yes! I hadn’t thought of that. I wonder 
what it is. Can I wear it all the time?” 

“Yes, if you want to.” 

“He oughtn’t to give me anything more. The 
ring takes my breath away, as Phil did last night. 
Do you think I’m silly, Cathalina?” 

“No, Lilian. It would be dreadful, with Phil 
thinking so much of you, if you could not care for 
him.” 

“I wish old Hilary were here. I wrote her a tiny 
note this morning, before you came.” 

“She ought to be at the family dinner, too, but I 
imagine it won’t be many years before she will. 
Campbell was struck with her that very time. We 
shall miss Campbell. I suspect that he is on his way 


172 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


to Cincinnati now. But I suppose you know all 
about their plans.” 

“Hilary and I are very confidential, of course, 
but Hilary is shy about her love affair, and does not 
say much about Campbell. She writes him a long 
letter every week, though, and I think he writes 
oftener.” 

Mrs. Van Buskirk came alone to call on Lilian 
and her mother that very afternoon. She was sweet 
and motherly to Lilian, and expressed her pleasure 
in the arrangement. The entire North family were 
jnvited to the family dinner at the Van Buskirk’s 
on Christmas evening, but Mrs. North felt uncertain 
about herself and the judge, for Christmas was a 
home day to Judge North. Lilian promised to be 
there, and Mrs. Van Buskirk told her laughingly 
that indeed she could not help herself, for Philip 
would be after her. Richard would speak for him¬ 
self later. 

The North home was well decorated these vaca¬ 
tion days, for Philip either brought or sent flowers 
every day. Mrs. North insisted that Lilian’s health 
would be undermined by the extravagant boxes of 
candy which came, and new music, both classic and 
“rag-time,” found its place upon Lilian’s piano. 
Such a happy time it was. Philip accompanied 
Lilian, or at the Van Buskirks Cathalina accompa¬ 
nied them both, or Lilian played a violin obligato 
while Philip sang and Cathalina was at the piano. 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


173 


On the night of the customary Christmas gather¬ 
ing, Philip drove over early for the Norths. The 
judge had concluded to go. “We might as well get 
acquainted with the relatives, Mother,” said he. 
Lilian had been at home with them for the day, and 
Philip had been over only once, bringing another 
little tribute early in the morning and saying his 
“Merry Christmas” to them all. Judge North stated 
once or twice that they were going to miss Philip 
as much as Lilian when the vacation ended. “Philip 
is getting to be a habit,” said he. The most fragrant 
pink roses of all that Philip had sent came for Lilian 
to wear to the family dinner. 

They found the Van Nesses there when they ar¬ 
rived. Little Charlotte, older but just as pretty and 
spoiled, seized upon Philip at once and was greatly 
taken with Lilian. “Are you one of our cousins?” 
she asked. 

“She is going to be, Charlotte,” replied Philip for 
Lilian. “Sit here between us and I’ll tell you 
about it.” 

“Oh, yes! It will be like Juliet and John. Do 
3'ou like her, Philip?” 

“I should think I do, Charlotte.” 

“Do you like Philip, Lilian?” 

“Do you, Charlotte?” 

“Oh, everybody likes Philip. Of course I do.” 

“So do I.” 

Meeting so many aunts, uncles, and cousins was 


174 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


somewhat exciting to Lilian, though she enjoyed it* 
But she knew how interested they all were in Philip’s 
choice. Many of the younger people she had met in 
the summer, and they greeted her as an old friend. 
Naturally graceful, and of a frank, friendly disposi¬ 
tion, Lilian gained the approval of the assembled 
family. Ann Maria saw the flashing ring at once, 
and asked Philip if congratulations were in order. 
When he replied that they were she said, “Then you 
have mine, Philip,” and went up to Lilian, saying in 
a low tone, “Welcome into the family, Lilian.” 

Nothing but the ring and Lilian’s presence indi¬ 
cated the engagement, but Mrs. Van Buskirk was 
especially thoughtful of Lilian and saw that she met 
all the friends at this annual family reunion. There 
were several packages for Lilian on the Christmas 
tree, among them the gift from Philip to which 
Cathalina had referred. 

Philip stood near as Lilian opened the package, 
so prettily tied. “Your chains,” he explained 
gravely. “Let me put them on, please.” 

“ ‘My chains!’ Oh!” Lilian laughed, as she took 
from the cotton two dainty gold circlets for her 
wrist. “Bracelets—how delicate and pretty. You 
have the most exquisite taste, Philip,” Cathalina 
came up just then, and Lilian held up her wrist, 
shaking her arm. “Hear them clank, Cathalina? 
Phil says these are my chains.” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


175 


“They are what I said you could wear all the 
time, you know,” said Cathalina. 

“I shall, day and night.” 




176 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


CHAPTER XIV 

SKIING ON HIGH HILL 

When the girls gathered again at Greycliff after 
the winter vacation, there was much to tell. Lilian 
and Hilary exchanged confidences, and Cathalina 
told Betty all about her vacation days, and the ro¬ 
mance surrounding Philip and Lilian. Lilian had 
left her ring at home with her mother, for safe keep¬ 
ing and lest she be tempted to wear it. But her 
“chains” she wore constantly, and took great com¬ 
fort in the thought that Philip considered them quite 
as binding as a ring. She was quite sober at times, 
plunged into her work with determination, finding' 
time, however, for two long letters a week to Philip, 
and wrote more poetry than ever. 

Virginia’s candy went off like hot cakes, as she 
said, giving her a comfortable little sum to begin on. 
She planned to make more of the popular varieties 
every Saturday. In a talk with Miss Randolph, she 
was assured that she might pay over what she had 
at the beginning of the next semester, and wait to 
settle finally until the end. This relieved her mind 
of all immediate worry, for there was a prospect of: 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


177 


her winning one of the prizes. Affairs might prove 
better with her father also, by that time, and mean¬ 
while she would earn and save all she could. She 
had a complete outfit for mending, with all shades 
of thread, silk or cotton, and plenty of darning cot¬ 
ton. Her business descended upon her “like the wolf 
on the fold,” she said. 

“Talk about one’s business growing! I don’t even 
need to advertise. I didn’t know there were so many 
lazy girls that hate to do anything for themselves!” 
Here Virginia cocked her head on one side. “That 
isn't really true, though, Isabel. I know all you 
girls have planned to waste your pin money on me 
by having as much done as possible. I’ll have to 
make a new schedule of hours, and see how much 
time I can afford to spend on this without neglecting 
my lessons.” 

“And you must plan to take enough exercise, too, 
Virgie,” said Isabel. “It wouldn’t pay to get sick.’* 

“No; but a little skating and skiing will give me 
what I need, with the walking to and from class, 
and I want to get ahead on funds while it is winter, 
before the lovely days come in the spring. I thought 
perhaps I could get one of the bird prizes, too, for 
an original description and a long bird list. Has 
the list of prizes been posted yet?” 

“I haven’t seen anything of it! I think it should 
be pretty soon, though, if there is anything new, so- 
we could be working toward it.” 


178 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“If I can just get the academy diploma I shall be 
partly satisfied. I think I could get some country 
school to teach out near home, where I could see 
Father occasionally, and perhaps I could go to col¬ 
lege later.” 

“Cathalina told me that her Aunt Katherine 
talked last Commencement time with Miss Randolph 
about some collegiate scholarships to be offered by 
Cathalina’s father, just as they have in high schools, 
you know. Now, if that happens, you will know 
that they weren’t just established for you.” 

“No, that would be all right. But Miss Randolph 
did not say a word about anything like that.” 

“Probably they aren’t ready to announce them 
yet, though you would think that they would in the 
fall.” 

“Not if the idea is new and undecided. I’m work¬ 
ing as hard as I can, anyhow, on all my lessons. You 
ought to get the first prize for scholarship, Isabel. 
I shall not be a bit jealous of you. I have had too 
much to make up; but if they give several scholar¬ 
ships I ought to get one, I think.” 

Betty had been up in Canada with her mother dur¬ 
ing the vacation, and came back with stories of skat¬ 
ing, skiing, and all sorts of winter sports. 

“We went on account of my aunt, you know. She 
is so worried about the boys in France all the time, 
and is getting thin trying not to show it. But I had 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


179 


the most wonderful time. I know so many of the 
young folks up there.” 

“Didn’t you 'most freeze’ ?” asked Pauline. This 
was at the first meeting of the Psyche Club in the 
beginning of the second week of school. 

“No, indeed; you dress for it. And I don’t see 
that it is so much farther north than this, after all.” 

“Did your skis get here, all right, girls?” asked 
Juliet, of Isabel and Virginia. 

“Yes. We tried walking on them Saturday. But 
I don’t see how we are going to do much more than 
that!” 

“I’ll show you,” offered Betty. “Do your brothers 
know how, Isabel?” 

“Pretty well. It’s a new sport in the town, and 
they haven’t any very good hills there. I feel so 
clumsy with my skis on—don’t see how you ever 
manage them.” 

“It is like everything else, you have to learn. How 
did you learn to stand up with skates on? Oh, it’s 
just wonderful when you learn to take those jumps, 
with your pole to balance you—you feel as if you 
are flying!” 

“Until you come down!” 

“Yes, but you learn to land just right. Of course, 
there will be accidents, but if the snow is deep and 
soft it doesn’t hurt to take a tumble once in a while. 
Let’s all go out and practice Saturday. Can you 
spare the time, Virginia?” 


ISO 


GKEYCLIFF HEROINES 


“Oh, yes; I’ll have to take a little recreation on 
Saturdays. I’m planning to make one or two 
batches of candy on Friday afternoon, after classes.” 

“I’ll help you with the nuts, Virgie,” said Isabel. 
“And if we get up early Saturday, you can have your 
candy made and sold by noon. All of us will be 
busy in the morning.” 

“Speaking of skiing, girls,” said Lilian, “I have 
the most lovely song. Perhaps you have seen it or 
heard it, Eloise. I learned it this vacation. ‘My 
Lover, He Comes on the Skee,’ it is called. It is a 
Norwegian love-song.” 

“No, I haven’t it,” said Eloise. 

“We must try it, then.” 

‘Don’t expect me to play it for you,’’said Catha- 
lina, with a gesture of dismissal as far as she was 
concerned. “It has an awful accompaniment.” 

“ ‘Awful!’ ” exclaimed Lilian. “It is beautiful—- 
the most inspiring, rippling thing!” 

“I mean, my dear, that it is hard to play. Here 
it is,” said Cathalina, lifting a pile of books to take 
the sheet of music from the table. “Look at those 
runs, Hilary. Do you blame me? But Philip, of 
course, played it easily.” 

“The accompaniment is half of its attraction,” 
said Lilian, exhibiting the song to Eloise, who was 
naturally interested and hummed the air as they went 
through it. “You get a picture of the action in every 
line, and I love it where it repeats ‘the wind in his 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 18X 

wake is singing.’ Then, here at the end it is so 
effective.” 

Cathalina turned to Hilary with a smile, saying 
aside, “ T love thee’ is repeated several times, with 
growing emphasis! Of course she and Philip sang 
that in unison! But it really is a glorious love-song, 
and Lilian’s voice is so clear and full on it. No 
wonder she likes it. Phil gave it to her. I don’t 
think it has been out very long.” 

“Let’s go down to the Shakespearean Hall and try 
it over,” suggested Isabel. “I have the key.” 

“But who’ll play it?” asked Cathalina. 

“Evelyn will try it, I know,” said Hilary. “She 
can play anything at sight.” 

“So can you, Hilary,” said loyal Lilian, “but it 
will be fine if Evelyn will do it. Will you, Evelyn?” 

“What is it?” asked Evelyn, who had been talk¬ 
ing to Olivia. “Oh, that? Yes, I know it. The 
voice teacher gave that to one of the senior girls 
just before the holidays. I played the accompani¬ 
ment for her two or three times.” 

For several days the girls hummed or sang the 
song, and made ready to go skiing on “high hill,” as 
they called it, the hill back of Greycliff’s buildings, 
which sloped away from the direction of the river 
over a broad expanse of unfenced land. It was not 
steep enough to be dangerous for the girls, the au¬ 
thorities had concluded, and on Saturday afternoon 
a number of the girls gathered there, some of them 


182 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


to learn, others to' enjoy a sport to which they were 
accustomed. There were, indeed, several hills from 
which to make a start, and this proved good for the 
learners. They could practice without getting in 
the way of the more experienced. 

Isabel and Virginia were laughing over their vari¬ 
ous attempts, and Betty was alternately showing 
them with great patience and shooting down the 
hill herself, when a group of young men came round 
from behind Greycliff, making for the brow of the 
hill. “Look!” exclaimed one of the girls. “There 
are a lot of boys with their German professor!” 

“They have gotten permission at Greycliff to use 
the hill,” said another. “Do you suppose we’ll have 
to go?” 

“Of course not,” replied the first. “Miss Ran¬ 
dolph knew we were out here. Unless she sends for 
us, we can stay.” 

More life was naturally infused into the scene 
when the boys began to take part. Greetings were 
exchanged between those who knew each other, and 
Captain Holley watched with interest the flying fig¬ 
ure of Betty, who happened to have started down 
Till before they arrived. Hastily adjusting his own 
skis, he was next on the track and arrived in time 
to help Betty uphill again. Poor Donald Hilton 
was having trouble with his skis and watched the 
handsome young officer, whom he now considered 
his rival with Betty, with rising wrath. A graceful 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


183 


figure Rudolph Holley made as he started down the 
long track again. His staff in air, he jumped as only 
a practised performer could do, while Betty and the 
other girls watched admiringly. 

Betty was not aware how unsatisfactory her 
manner was to Donald that afternoon. He came up 
to visit with her, and they chatted together on dif¬ 
ferent topics, but he found her too much interested 
in skiing to permit of much visiting. She had no 
idea that Donald had anything special on his mind, 
having asked him at first if he had found out who 
had fixed his room before the military reception. He 
had replied that one of the boys had owned up to it, 
and she had taken that as final. Donald, however, 
had much more to tell, but the circumstances were 
not propitious. Donald could do well himself on 
the skis, but there was something the matter with 
one this afternoon. He barely saved himself from 
a bad tumble the first time, and considered that he 
had been about as awkward as a beginner. This 
before Betty did not please him, particularly since 
there was such a handsome expert in the group. 

On Betty's part there was her great love for win¬ 
ter sports. She was much interested in Donald, liked 
him, felt happy when she was with him, and had 
confidence in him. But she was not in love, in spite 
of the romance of their first meeting. Probably 
neither Donald nor Betty had analyzed their feelings 
at this stage. It was youth and young romance, and 


184 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


nothing very serious. To Betty life was full of good 
times. Donald, too, had his friends among the boys, 
and many a jolly performance was staged at the 
military school. Before the girls left, however, 
Donald had opportunity to ask Betty if he might call. 

“Yes, indeed/’ said she. “I rather expected you 
before the holidays—that is, you said you were 
coming.” 

“I know it, and you were good to say I might 
come, but I had all those demerits and I could not 
prove that I had not done those things myself. Con¬ 
sequently, I am on probation for the rest of the time 
before Christmas. Didn’t you get my note?” 

“No. Did you write one?” 

“I certainly did. That makes another queer 
thing.” 

“Perhaps you didn’t address it correctly.” 

“I don’t see how I could help it. I think I can 
get off next week Friday or Saturday, and will tele¬ 
phone to make sure. Will I have to write to Miss 
Randolph?” 

“We are allowed calls on Saturday afternoon. 
Just send in your card to Miss Randolph, with my 
name, too. What time will you come?” 

“About three o’clock.” 

“I shall be ready to see you at that time, then. 
Don’t get any more demerits!” 

“No, not if I can help it. I remember that the 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


185 


ice carnival will be held again some day. May I 
speak to skate with you?” 

“Does the best skater in the military school have 
any doubts as to that?” 

“Meaning me?” 

“Meaning you.” 

Somewhat consoled for his lack of prowess in ski¬ 
ing that afternoon, Donald determined to keep from 
demerits, as Betty had urged, to buy a new pair of 
skis, and to practice his more favorite diversion, the 
skating, that he might not lost first place in that. 





v 


186 


GEEYCLIFF HEEOINES 


CHAPTER XV 
Donald's discoveries 

On the following Saturday, Donald Hilton called 
upon Betty at Greycliff. He had both written and 
telephoned and found that it would be '‘perfectly 
convenient ’ 9 for Betty to receive him. Alma 
brought his card to Betty, who had just come down 
stairs, at the appointed hour, to wait in a small re¬ 
ception room. Several girls were there, according 
to custom at Greycliff, expecting callers. Cards were 
always first taken to Miss Randolph or whatever 
teacher was in charge for the afternoon. 

Upon receiving Donald’s card, Betty crossed the 
hall to the double parlors or reception rooms, in one 
of which Donald was waiting. At her approach he 
rose and held out a friendly hand. Betty was look¬ 
ing particularly fetching, though simply dressed for 
the afternoon. There were some other guests in the 
large room, but Donald led Betty to a comfortable 
seat in the corner at one end of the room, near one 
of the windows, and placed his own chair, a big 
affair with a high back, in such a way that he would 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 1ST 

face Betty and the world would be shut off, so far 
as he was concerned. 

“Now we can talk,” said Donald. “You haven’t 
any idea how aggravating it has been not to be able 
to get over here.” 

“What did you have to do while you were ‘on 
props,’ as we call it?” 

“What didn’t I ? But being ‘on props’ chiefly cuts 
you off from privileges, you know. I didn’t see the 
commandant again—thought I would not bother the 
old boy, and he had been pretty fine about it, any¬ 
how. I did go to Van Horne and I told him all the 
details. I think he believed me. But none of the 
officers can say much if it is a case of breaking rules. 
And I could not prove anything. Consequently I 
went ‘on props.’ ” 

“Do they write home about it?” 

“No, but I did, of course. I wrote the whole 
thing, more because I was afraid of what might 
come of it in the future than because I wanted them 
to know about it. I told them not to waste any 
sympathy on me, but they’d better get it straight 
from the first.” 

“It was a perfect shame!” 

“A fellow has to take these things sometimes, and 
I do not need any sympathy. What made me so 
provoked was that I could not find out who set it 
all up. And now I come to the thrilling part of my 
tale of woe. You remember that we thought it might 


188 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


be the younger cadets getting it back on us older 
fellows, but I was the only one so favored! 

“I think that I told you once, Betty, about the 
little rivalry in our class, and the fellow that would 
scarcely speak to me because I made the first team 
and he didn’t.” 

“Yes, but I have forgotten his name.” 

“Newt Fuller. He is a great follower of Captain 
Holley. Then there is another named Jim Clark 
that was friendly with me, until he began to go 
around with Newt and his friends, and roomed with 
one of them. I had noticed that they were not any 
too cordial, but didn’t pay much attention. I treat 
all the boys alike, except to have an especial pal or 
two, as all of them do. 

“Well, shortly after the reception, I noticed Jim’s 
starting to say something to me two or three times, 
then looking all around and changing his mind. 
Finally, I asked him what was the matter, if he 
wanted to speak to me about something. We were 
separating after drill that time. ‘Sh-sh!’ he said. 
‘Yes, I do, but I can’t tell you now. If I can get 
a chance, I’ll tell you something one of these days. 
I don’t dare now. But watch your step!’ ” 

“Mercy sakes!” cried Betty. “Is anybody going 
to do anything very terrible to you?” 

“No, indeed. Nothing very serious, I’m sure. Of 
course, my mind ran back to the cause of my being 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


189 


on probation, and I began to connect that with Newt, 
because Jim was with that crowd.’’ 

“Then it wasn’t the younger cadets at all?” 

“No, not a bit of it. To go on with the story—old 
Jim would look awfully guilty whenever he saw me, 
and I remembered that he had looked funny before 
when he saw me, but I had not thought about it. As 
a conspirator, Jim is not a success!” Donald’s half 
suppressed laugh here amused Betty, who laughed, 
too, and several girls and boys not far away looked 
over to see what the fun might be. 

“Some of our friends will be joining us in a few 
moments,” said Donald. “I’d better sober down, if 
I don’t want to be interrupted. To continue, as the 
books say, finally, one time not long ago, Jim and 
I happened along together on the ice, probably out 
of sight of any of the other conspirators, for Jim 
skated up to me. We did a few figures, and Jim told 
me what by that time I was expecting, that it was 
set up. He was the one who sent the word that 
called me out of my room, and he and another cadet 
tore up the place a little, thought it was fun and 
nothing more than the boys sometimes do to each 
other. ‘But, Donald,’ he said, T did not put those 
cigarettes and ashes in your room. I heard Newt 
and the other boys talking about it afterwards, and 
knew that they must have been there after I left. I 
nearly gave the thing away when I saw you, walk¬ 
ing up and down after the girls had arrived for the 


190 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


reception.’ And now, Betty, Jim said, ‘I wanted to 
tell you, but the worst of it is that there is somebody 
in authority who suggested the whole thing. Can 
you guess ? Who didn't want yon to be at that re¬ 
ception?' " Donald paused. 

“Who, indeed!” exclaimed Betty. “Why, such 
things are too small for a man to do! I can’t believe 
it, even of our mysterious captain. But now I will 
tell you what he did that night. He must have done 
it on purpose. He took pains to see that I saw you 
outside. I thought perhaps it was an accident after 
all!” 

“I think I would have lost what little mind I had 
left if I had known that you were looking at me!” 

“I couldn’t tell you that night, with all the rest 
you had to trouble you.” 

“I could scarcely believe Jim, and said, ‘Are you 
sure } Jim?’—and he said, ‘Indeed I am; you want to 
look out, Don.’ So I’m looking out, and Jim doesn’t 
look guilty any more when he sees me, for I told 
him it was all right. He was just in for some fun, 
but Newt, and whoever was behind him, intended to 
make trouble for me with the faculty. That much 
is plain. Jim will have to keep in with those fel¬ 
lows, so they won’t suspect. He is a pretty decent 
chap, and I can see that he is disgusted with Newt!” 

“I don’t see the point of Captain Holley’s dislike 

of you. He is not paying much attention to me/' 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


191 


“Twice, though, when he wanted you for his 
company, I got ahead of him.” 

“Yes, thank fortune!” 

“I thank you, Miss Betty,” and Donald started 
up, as if to rise, and bowed. 

“I see. It is not letting another man take the girl 
you have asked for.” 

“That is partly it, but I am afraid that the captain 
is also interested in this particular girl.” 

“Donald, if he should ask me to call or anything, 
what should I do? If I have a previous date with 
you, it would only make him do something mean to 
you. I don’t believe I’ll go to the ice carnival at all.” 

“If he should ask to call, I think you would be 
safe to let him do it, even if you don’t like him. I’m 
sure I can’t advise you, for I hate to think of your 
having anything to do with him. Don’t think of 
me. I can keep out of any more trouble, I think. 
Jim promised to warn me through one of the other 
boys if he knows of anything.” 

“When did Captain Holley come to the military 
school, or do you know?” 

“The year before Louise came here, for a little 
while, you know. I always wondered why she didn’t 
stay.” 

“There was some trouble, and the girls did not 
regret her going. She made herself disagreeable 
enough. But the poor girl had all kinds of trouble, 


192 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


of course, for which she wasn’t to blame. She tries 
to be more friendly now.” 

“When Holley tried to claim, one day in a group 
of us cadets, that his country didn’t start the war, 
and isn’t to blame and all that, I thought it was too 
funny to get mad about, and he kept saying that 
Americans ought to keep neutral—nothing to us, I 
suppose, how many of our people get killed at sea— 
but they have relatives over there, and maybe they 
really do think it. Our boys get pretty hot some¬ 
times, and you ought to see how the drills have im¬ 
proved! Even the smallest of the kid cadets are 
getting ready to fight for their country! Holley 
claims that even if he had not been in the United 
States, the trouble with his eyes would have kept 
him out of the army.” 

“The girls talk, too, though Miss Randolph and 
the teachers try to keep them from having argu¬ 
ments or stirring up Professor Schafer and Doctor 
Carver. Isabel came rushing into our suite the other 
day, with her cheeks hot and her eyes flashing, and 
asked us what we thought of the idea that you would 
do anything, no matter how mean, for your country, 
‘your country right or wrong’ stuff. ‘Do you think 
that's patriotism ?’ she asked, about the way she does 
in debate. Cathalina told her that of course you 
would love your country and your flag, ‘right or 
wrong,’ but to ‘justify’ wrong acts of the people who 
were running the government certainly wouldn’t be 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


193 


true patriotism. She said that her mother said God's 
laws were first, and that our motto says ‘In God we 
trust.' " 

“Oh, well,” said Donald, “in our country we don't 
hesitate to speak out and tell our politicians what we 
think. Our flag stands for certain principles—ideals, 
the old boy calls them, and it's those that we'll fight 
for if we get into the war. He made us a long speech 
the other day on patriotism, and took up all these 
puzzling things. He said that our flag stands for 
these great principles, and that sometimes there was 
a difference between our real government and its 
principles, and their administration by politicians 
that were not really patriots. I wish you had heard 
him. Such cheering and clapping! He’s the kind 
of an old scout to put in charge of a military acad¬ 
emy ! It wouldn't be a very pleasant place to be in 
these days for anybody who wasn’t a good 
American.” 

“Good!” exclaimed Betty. “But I do think it is 
the funniest thing to hear you and Jack and the rest 
of the boys call the commandant the ‘old boy’ and 
‘old scout.' He is so big and dignified. I should 
think you’d be afraid of him.” 

“We are. But what good would he be if he weren’t 
strict? You don’t know how much good military 
discipline does some of those wild boys that come 
to our school. Though it is true, Miss Betty, that 
one can have too much of a good thing!” 


194 


GKEYCLIFF HEROINES 


“As you have good reason to know?” 

“Just so.” 

“There’s one thing I hadn’t thought of—I don’t 
believe you would be prevented from an engagement 
again, do you? Seems to me it would look sus¬ 
picious, the same thing another time.” 

“I think it could be done in some other way the 
next time.” 

“Then I shan’t make any more dates.” 

“Oh, Betty! You wouldn’t punish me that way, 
I hope.” 

“Will you look out when any of them are around, 
so nothing could happen?” 

“Of course. I rather think I could take care of 
myself.” 

“See that you do, then,” said Betty lightly. “By 
the way, how is your Glee Club coming on?” 

“Practicing as usual. How is yours ?” 

“Practicing, too, every week. You would think 
we had nothing but a conservatory of music around 
here by the sounds, especially the last of the week. 
The Glee Club, the Guitar, Uke and Mandolin Club, 
the Collegiate and Academy Orchestras, to say noth¬ 
ing of what Hilary calls the Comb Symphony Or¬ 
chestra, on private serenades, combine to make night 
hideous.” 

Donald was thinking “what a bright, jolly, sweet 
girl Betty is, and how those dimples do chase around 
when she laughs!” And Betty was thinking “Isn’t 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


195 


Donald a good, wholesome boy, honest and fine as 
they are made 

Harry Mills and Jack Appleton were calling on 
Dorothy and Jane, and it came about that they all 
drifted together to chat, since Donald had completed 
his confidences to Betty. 


196 


GIIEYCLIFF HEROINES 


CHAPTER XVI 

CHIVALRY AND ARMS 

The annual ice carnival, full of excitement, came 
again and took its place in history. As Captain 
Holley was enduring an attack of tonsilitis, nothing 
marred the occasion for Betty, who again won the 
highest prize for fine skating. As this was Donald’s 
unlucky year, according to him, he had twisted his 
ankle several weeks before and was not at his best. 
The first prize among the boys went to Jack Apple- 
ton, the second to Donald. 

Both Jack Appleton and Harry Mills had this 
year developed a violent fancy for Eloise, who had 
her hands full to distribute her favors impartially, 
and not offend either the boys or their sisters. Harry 
Mills was her partner at the banquet which followed 
the carnival skating, but Jack claimed her most of 
the time on the ice. Eloise was almost equal to 
Betty on skates, and there had been some discussion 
among the judges about dividing the first prize, but 
it seemed best to award the second prize to Eloise. 
Betty had a few more extra performances to her 
credit. 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


197 


The good-natured rivalry between Jack and Harry 
did not escape the comments of the girls, who pre¬ 
tended to deplore the fate of “poor Reginald.” He 
was away, they said, and had no chance against his 
rivals. 

“It is such a pity to spoil the lovely illusion about 
Reginald,” said Eloise one day, as some of the girls 
stood in the hall, reading the letters just received, 
“but here is the last letter,” and she tossed a letter 
into Betty’s hands. “I was annoyed at first, then I 
thought that it would be fun to let you keep on 
thinking what you did. You thought from my man¬ 
ner that it was some boy I didn’t like, didn’t you?” 

“I guess we did,” replied Betty, reading the letter 
and laughing out when she came to the signature. 
But she made no remark, and handed the letter, a 
brief one this time, to Pauline, who was nearest. 
She rapidly read the page and exclaimed “A girl!” 

“Ora Rand!” read Juliet aloud. “The romance 
of Reggie is o’er!” 

“He’s gone to the ‘never been’ shore,” added 
Isabel. 

“That masculine hand 

“Of Miss Ora Rand,” suggested Cathalina. 

“Shall fool us poor Psyches no more,” finished 
Lilian. “Tell us about her, Eloise.” 

“I did not want to write to her in the first place, 
because I am so busy, you know, that I can hardly 
keep up writing to two or three close friends whom 


198 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


I don’t want to give up. She is younger than I am, 
does not go around with us older girls and boys at 
home, and, I think, just wanted to keep up a corre¬ 
spondence because I was away at school and she 
thought it would be interesting. So it has been a 
little drag, that is all. But she is a good little thing, 
and I have answered her letters once in awhile. I 
am ashamed to be so mean, but you just can’t spend 
so much time on letters. And that is ‘Reginald’!” 

“Now defunct,” said Pauline. “Reqaiescat in 
pace” 

School life is a busy, exciting one, full of hard 
work for those who want success in it, but also full 
of fun and good times among the especially interest¬ 
ing folks that compose the school world. It is full 
of variety, and time flies swiftly on that account. 
Before the girls realized it, spring was again at hand. 
It was April, with its tantalizing days, in which the 
birds were migrating, nature was making a great 
effort to bloom into blossoms of tree and plant, the 
girls were hungering for the woods and shore, and 
yet in this more northern clime there were wet, 
muddy fields, chill winds, and occasional flurries of 
snow. The bird classes wore rubber boots, raincoats, 
and rubber hats or other more disreputable head cov¬ 
ering which rain could not hurt. It was April of 
1917, that spring when the echoes of heavy artillery 
in France were of more and more concern in our 
country. 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


199 


One morning the newspapers were delivered ear¬ 
lier than usual. The delivery was usually made 
about the middle of the forenoon. This morning, 
as Isabel said later, “even Greycliff Village had 
speeded up/’ and the papers came out right after 
breakfast. In them was the never-to-be-forgotten 
message of the President. The teachers sat reading 
their papers at their desks when the first bell for class 
rang, and a few of the girls who took them came to 
class with copies in their hands. Faces were sober 
and some of them were beginning to take on that 
look of uplift which was characteristic of the time. 
Patricia West’s class had gathered and were waiting 
when she put down her paper upon her desk, looked 
through and beyond the girls gathered before her, 
and stepped to the blackboard behind her. No out¬ 
line of Latin constructions, or references for Eng¬ 
lish study grew under her hands. The girls watched 
her while she wrote: 

“In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born beyond 
the sea, 

With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you 
and me; 

As He died to make men holy, let us die to make 
men free!” 

Silence for a moment, as the girls read and looked 
at each other and at “Patty.” “Is it war, Miss 


200 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


West?” asked one of the girls in the front row. 
Miss West picked up the paper. But as she began 
to explain, the chapel bell rang, to the surprise of all, 
the continuous ringing which was the signal for a 
general meeting. 

‘‘Pass out quietly, girls,” directed Miss West; “go 
immediately to the chapel, and take your regular 
seats.” 

Lilian slipped her arm in Hilary’s as they went 
in the chapel, and walked forward to their seats, 
which were side by side, in the junior collegiate sec¬ 
tion. No customary music from the organ greeted 
them, but most of the faculty were on the platform. 
A few of the professors who lived at the village, and 
had not yet come out for classes which were sched¬ 
uled later in the day, were missing. There sat 
Doctor Carver, looking bored. Professor Schafer 
sat back in his chair, his arms folded, a grim look 
on his face. Doctor Norris was giving an encourag¬ 
ing smile to Patty, who was very white. 

It was not long before the last class had entered 
and was seated, and members of the faculty ceased 
to enter the door on the platform. Then Miss Ran¬ 
dolph rose and went forward to the desk. “Young 
ladies,” said she, “I have called you together this 
morning because we are at a crisis in American his¬ 
tory, and I want you to have a share in the first 
knowledge of facts, which you ought to know, and 
in which you will probably have a share. 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


201 


'‘You have been studying the history of Greece, 
Rome, England, and other countries beside your 
own, and very properly. You have been studying 
American history, and some of you imagine that 
‘history’ is all of the past. The pages that are being 
made every year are not less important. Professor 
Matthews will read to us all the remarkable message 
by the President of the United States which is in the 
morning paper. Not alone the words of the message 
have stirred us this morning, but what is before us— 
the inevitable duty. 

“It might seem strange to some that I call you 
from your lessons and interrupt your work. But we 
try to teach more at Greycliff than the usual curri¬ 
culum. We take an interest in the character of our 
girls. When I talked to you at the beginning of the 
year on ‘Pleroines’ I had in mind the self-sacrifice 
and heroic meeting of difficulties that some of you 
may have to bear. I hope that they may not be too 
heavy, but I have confidence that my girls will not 
be found wanting. Professor Matthews.” 

After a brief chapel service, classes went on as 
usual the rest of the day. That evening the Grant 
Academy Glee Club was to give an entertainment at 
Greycliff, as many cadets outside of the club per¬ 
mitted to attend as desired to come and pay the small 
admission fee. Donald had told Betty not long be¬ 
fore that he thought there was scarcely a cadet who 
would miss the opportunity to come to Greycliff, 


202 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


and certainly no girl was planning to stay in her 
room to study on that night! 

“Seems to me,” said Isabel, “that we have all our 
excitement at once. This morning they tell us we 
are going to get into the war at last, and here come 
the prospective soldiers to our doors this evening!” 

“Oh, not many of those boys will go!” exclaimed 
Virginia. 

“I don’t know about that. Of course the very 
young ones will not, but the older ones won’t care 
whether they are through school or not. My, don’t 
I wish I’d been a boy, too!” 

“Isabel!” 

“I’m going over to see what Betty and Cathalina 
are going to wear tonight.” 

“And, incidentally, what Hilary and Lilian are 
going to wear.” 

“No, they won’t care what they wear, especially 
tonight, when all they’re thinking about is what is 
going to happen to Campbell and Philip, and how 
soon. If I were only old enough, I’d go as a nurse 
when our boys go.” 

“You’d have to know something about nursing, 
too.” 

“Yes; I suppose I would.” 

“I don’t believe we’d better think much about it 
yet. It will be some time before we are actually 
in it. 

The girls in Lakeview Suite were dressing for 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


203 


dinner and the concert when Isabel entered. Catha- 
lina’s cheeks were pink, and Betty’s were a match 
for them, as they dressed, in what Isabel called their 
“spacious boudoir.” Isabel perched on the bed and 
told the girls to back up to her if they wanted to be 
hooked up, or have any ribbons tied. “Will they 
let the boys sit by the girls if they want to?” she 
asked. 

“Oh, yes,” said Betty; “but they never let us have 
real invitations; we have to buy our own tickets, you 
know.” 

“I wondered,” said Isabel. “I could not remem¬ 
ber, but Poddy Brown asked me if I would be there 
and said he hoped to see me!” 

“What a name!” exclaimed Cathalina. “Poddy!” 

“Yes, isn’t it? I asked him about it at the mili¬ 
tary reception, and he said it was a great compli¬ 
ment on the part of the boys—they call him ‘Pod’ 
because he never ‘spills the beans’!” 

Having brothers, neither Cathalina nor Betty had 
to have that expression explained. “I see,” said 
Cathalina. “He’s the boy with that serious face, 
isn’t he?” 

“Yes. He can tell you all kinds of jokes with the 
most sober face, but at the end he laughs like any¬ 
body else.” 

“Isabel,” said Cathalina, “what do you think about 
the military school, do you think that it will be 
broken up right away?” 


204 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“Mercy, no,” said Isabel. “Why, the old United 
States has to get ready, doesn’t she? Jim said that 
‘when he got in it,’ as he put it, even the regular 
army could not get off the first minute. Is Captain 
Van Horne’s appointment under the regular army ?” 

“It can’t be, because at home he did not want them 
to call him ‘captain’; said it was only a courtesy title 
of the school.” 

“Only the commandant, Donald said,” inserted 
Betty, “is a regular army officer, and as far as I 
know, he is retired. I am so anxious to hear what 
Donald has to say about the latest news.” 

“He sings, doesn’t he?” 

“Yes, but he wanted me to see him a moment be¬ 
fore I go in the auditorium, at the head of the stairs, 
about ten or fifteen minutes before the program 
begins.” 

“There! How do I look, Isabel? Compliments 
are in order,” and Cathalina whirled around to show 
Isabel her gown. 

“You are as perfect as usual, and as pretty as a 
peach,” responded Isabel at once. 

“For that I’ll hug you,” said Cathalina, laying her 
hot cheek against Isabel’s before she suited her ac¬ 
tion to her words. “You rather overdid the com¬ 
pliment, but it sounded well. See what a fever I 
have!” 

“Your cheeks are hot, but we’ll not send for the 
doctor yet. But I’ll have to hurry, if I get dressed 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


205 


before dinner myself. There will be enough time 
after dinner, though, won’t there?” 

“I don’t think so,” said Betty. “The cadets are 
going to have an early dinner and come right over, 
to have the program begin as soon after seven-thirty 
as possible.” 

“The announcement said eight o’clock.” 

“I know it, but there was a change. See if Miss 
Randolph does not announce it at dinner. She must 
have forgotten it at noon. I had a note from Donald 
this morning.” 

Evening came and brought almost the entire mili¬ 
tary academy to Greycliff, in various conveyances. 
They went immediately to the auditorium, the sing¬ 
ers to a room near the chapel, whence divers tones 
and tunes soon floated out, as one or another tried 
his voice. Some of the young officers were counted 
among the members of the Glee Club, among them 
Captain Van Horne and Lieutenant Maxwell. Girls 
and cadets occupied the seats in the chapel, and filled 
it with the buzz of conversation while they waited. 
Captain Van Horne, with one eye on Donald, 
though not for the purposes of discipline, noted that 
he went out into the hall before the program, and 
followed his example, in the hope of seeing Catha- 
lina. Both young men were rewarded with a short 
visit, as the girls stopped to shake hands and ask 
what they thought of the prospect. “This news of 
imminent war has stirred up the academy to the 


206 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


boiling point,” replied Captain Van Horne to Catha- 
lina. “All sorts of crazy ideas are going the rounds, 
but the atmosphere is patriotic at any rate.” 

The conversation in the auditorium ceased as soon 
as the Glee Club cadets came on the platform. The 
younger cadets in the audience were as quiet as the 
girls, out of respect for them, and because they had 
been told that they would be asked to withdraw by 
their officers if they forgot and conversed with the 
girls during the musical numbers. 

How the cadets sang, and how the girls applauded! 
Their schoolmates in the audience, also, ably assisted 
in the applause. Before the last number the com¬ 
mandant announced that another had been added to 
the program, “by Lieutenant Maxwell, with the 
Glee Club.” 

The last number printed was a rollicking sailor 
song, sung with much enjoyment apparently, while 
the audience felt like keeping time. Then, in great 
quiet, Lieutenant Maxwell stepped forward and 
began the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”: 

“Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the 
Lord; 

He is tramping out the vintage where the grapes of 
wrath are stored.” 

Could it be the jolly, joking young lieutenant that 
all the girls enjoyed so much? The fine young face 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


207 


was sober, and looked off into the night through the 
great windows. Perhaps he saw a little white cross 
in France. But he smiled as he sang the words 
Patty had written on the board that morning: 

“As He died to make men holy, let us die to make 
men freer 


208 


GKEYCLIFF HEROINES 


CHAPTER XVII 

EXCITING DAYS 

The young people of America had few illusions 
when war was declared in the spring of 1917. The 
war in Europe, with its hideous beginning and terri¬ 
ble progress, was more or less familiar in detail. It 
was no unknown adventure that our soldiers faced. 
Photographs or pen pictures of the trenches and 
their horrors had been public since that August of 
1914. Ah, the gallant young Americans of 1917 
and 1918! With smiles and jests, or with faces of 
deadly earnestness, our boys sang and marched, or 
rode toward the thing that had to be done. For a 
cause, and with a purpose, the youth of that genera¬ 
tion offered themselves. We have had some sicken¬ 
ing revelations since the war, but none that cast a 
shadow on the young generation that fought our 
battles then. 

“Lord God of hosts, be with us yet— 

Lest we forget—lest we forget!” 

No other days of romance or chivalry ever gave 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 200 

more of effort, courage, and the sacrifice of all the 
human heart holds dear than those days when 
America’s heart was in France, and her eyes fol¬ 
lowing a map with the advance of American forces. 


Greycliff days went on as usual in the class-room, 
though war was declared and the reading of the 
morning paper became one of the exciting moments 
of the day. “When would the boys go?” was the 
question of chief importance. Some time after the 
Glee Club concert, Betty received a telephone mes¬ 
sage from Donald Hilton, asking if he could see her 
in the afternoon after classes, or in the evening be¬ 
fore study hour. “It is very important,” said he. 
“Will Miss Randolph permit me to call?” 

“I’ll find out, Donald, and let you know. I think 
she will.” 

Later Betty telephoned that Donald might come 
between dinner and study hours, and at the ap¬ 
pointed time he arrived, having cut short his own 
meal to get to Greycliff in time, and being excused 
properly at the academy. He met Betty in the hall, 
and they stood talking there, while Alma took his 
card to Miss Randolph and returned with it for 
Betty. 

Donald was full of repressed excitement. “ I had 
to come to see you, Betty—before I take French 
leave of the school—in more senses than one!” 



210 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“What!” exclaimed Betty. “You’re going to en¬ 
list now!” 

“Yes,” replied Donald, “I’m going.” 

“Do you mean without telling your folks?” 

“Yes, without telling anybody but you.” 

Betty was touched by his confidence, but said 
earnestly, “Donald, don’t you do it! Go home first 
and see your father and mother and sisters. You 
will regret it if you don’t.” 

“If I tell them, they will try to keep me from 
going, or at least until the end of the school year. 
Of course Mother would not give her consent, any¬ 
way, even if Father were willing.” 

“I’m not so sure about that,” said Betty. “And 
I think it would be dreadful to go without saying 
goodbye.” 

“Oh, I’d get off, probably, to say goodbye before 
I went to France.” 

“You don’t know what might happen. Here is 
Alma. Thank you, Alma. Come on, Donald, to 
the bench at the end of the hall. We’ll not be inter¬ 
rupted there. The girls will be singing and playing 
in the parlors.” 

Donald and Betty walked to the end of the corri¬ 
dor, past the reception rooms, to where a long, old- 
fashioned bench filled part of an alcove, by the large 
jvindows which looked out upon the wood. 

“Now,” said Betty, “tell me all about it.” 

“I have to go, that’s all,” said Donald grimly. “I 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


211 


can’t study. Nobody can at the academy. The com¬ 
mandant is as stirred up as anybody, though he tries 
not to show it. We heard that he is trying to get 
back in the regular army and go to France with the 
first troops. Van Horne is going, and Maxwell, as 
soon as they can. They are enlisting with the Na¬ 
tional Guard, and are only waiting to do it till they 
can arrange about the school. They don’t want to 
leave the commandant in the lurch. But there will 
be precious few of the older boys left to teach, and 
school closes soon anyhow. They are going to hurry 
up the work and Commencement, they say now. 
Some of the boys say that the school will close, but 
nobody knows for sure. I’ll not miss much.” 

“Donald,” said Betty soberly, “I’d be the last one 
to say 'don’t go,’ but, honestly, I think that you 
might take time enough to write home about it. 
Because you boys are full of patriotism—that isn’t 
going to get you to France any sooner. And until 
the camps get started, where could you get better 
military training than right here in a military 
school?” 

“That is so, Betty, but perhaps some of us can 
help in the training, and we’d like to get into the real 
stuff!” 

“I think that your mother will consent to your 
going, since you are so nearly of age, and perhaps 
she would not care about your finishing the school 
year, either. You see, my cousins from Canada are 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


910 

in the war, and I know how my aunt feels. Please 
promise me to write to your mother!” 

Donald changed position, looked thoughtfully at 
Betty, and smiled as he replied, “I think a good deal 
of your advice, but I must go.” 

“It will not hinder your going. And even if you 
do go later without the consent of your family, it 
will be different from not even having written!” 
Thus persuaded Betty. 

“If I wait, may I have a picture of you, Betty, to 
take with me?” 

Betty flushed a little as she replied, “Why, yes, 
you may, if you want one. If you come over again, 
I’ll bring down what I have, big pictures and snap¬ 
shots, and you can take your choice. You would 
want a small picture, wouldn’t you?” 

“I would,” said Donald, patting his left hand 
pocket, while Betty blushed again. “All right, I’ll 
wait and write to mother, and will you let me come 
over on Saturday afternoon to tell you the results? 
And perhaps you could have the pictures ready, too. 
[Will that do?” 

“Of course it will do. I’m so glad, Donald! It 
will be much better. Your mother will feel so much 
better about it.” 

“Someway, Betty, I don’t feel in quite so much of 
a hurry to leave when I’m with you,” said the frank 
Donald. “I’ll have one more good Saturday after- 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


213 


noon with you, and perhaps, if it is not stormy, we 
can have a boat ride. Can you get permission ?” 

“I’ll ask. There are the girls, Donald; look out 
of the window.” 

Cathalina, Lilian and Hilary were passing, coming 
from the direction of the little wood on the hill, and 
waved their field glasses gayly as Betty tapped on 
the window. 

“Did you say that Captain Van Horne is leaving 
soon? I wonder if Cathalina knows.” 

“He and Maxwell go as soon as possible. You 
see, they are right up in military drill and discipline, 
and will make valuable officers.” 

“Lilian and Cathalina haven’t heard from Philip, 
and Hilary hasn’t heard from Campbell for days , 
and they are sure that there is some reason—though 
both boys promised their parents that they would 
finish the school year and get their diplomas. You 
see, they graduate this year.” 

“Oh, graduate! What is school in comparison 
with this?” 

While Donald and Betty talked, the three girls 
who had passed came down the hall, Cathalina with 
a telegram in her hand. “Do you suppose they’ll 
care?” asked Lilian, thinking about how little she 
and Philip would want to be interrupted when time 
together was so short. 

“Of course, they won’t,” said Cathalina, T ‘for we’ll 
not stay but a minute. Donald will be interested, I 


214 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


think. Excuse me, people,” she continued, as they 
joined Betty and Donald, “but I have just received 
a telegram from Philip, and Lilian has another one. 
Hilary had one from Campbell, too, and they are 
coming on to see us Saturday!” 

The girls had all greeted Donald, Cathalina with 
a bow as she spoke, while Donald had risen and 
brought up a chair or two to face the bench. 

“Some more folks going to war,” remarked 
Donald. 

“Yes, that must be it,” assented Cathalina. “These 
telegrams are all from New York, and it is not vaca¬ 
tion. I imagine that they have gotten permission 
to leave school and are going to enlist.” 

“I am sure of it,” said Lilian. “Phil's last letter 
was chiefly a protest against his promise.” 

“Campbell wrote that he was released from his,” 
said Hilary. “His mother said that ordinarily edu¬ 
cation was the most important thing for young peo¬ 
ple. But when a boy was of age and felt it his duty 
to go, he should not be bound by a promise.” 

“Some of us who are not of age want to go,” said 
Donald, “and if you are interested, I’ll tell you what 
a time we are having at the school.” At Donald’s 
urging, the girls sat down, while Donald related the 
latest news and hearsay at the academy, and Catha- 
lina’s rather sinking heart was encouraged when she 
learned that the young captain whom she admired 
so much was not leaving without time for a word of 


GKEYCLIFF HEROINES 


215 


farewell for her before he left. Would he come over 
to see her ? was the question in her mind. The study 
bell rang while they talked, and all the girls walked 
along with Betty and Donald toward the entrance, 
leaving them there to make their adieux, while they 
went on up to Lakeview Suite. 

It was not long before Betty joined the other girls 
and sat down in their midst, finding them with no 
idea of studying. Lilian was lying on the couch 
which made the window-seat. Hilary was sitting 
with both elbows on the study table, and Cathalina 
was in a rocking chair, facing her. “Look here, 
Betty,” said Lilian, and as Betty went over toward 
her she held out her left hand, on which the diamond 
of her engagement ring sparkled. “Mother sent it 
to me. Wasn’t it dear of her! It will make things 
easier when Philip comes. But it makes me sick 
about everything. We were going to have such a 
wonderful time this summer!” Lilian closed her 
eyes and put her hand over them. The ring flashed 
as it caught the light from the electric lamp on the 
table, but Hilary switched it off as she noticed Lilian, 
remarking that as nobody was going to study right 
away they would not need it. 

“Cheer up, Lil,” said Betty. “We don’t know 
much of what is coming, I guess, but it doesn’t help 
any to look ahead. Maybe some of the things won’t 
happen at all.” 

“We were all going to the sea-shore together,” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


21 (> 

said Cathalina, “but, of course, Father has been tell¬ 
ing us that this was coming.” 

“Yes, it isn’t as if we had not been thinking of 
it,” said Hilary, “and I don’t see how we can help 
anything by worrying. We’ve got to stand by the 
boys. Let’s get to work at those lessons pretty 
soon.” 

“All right,” said Lilian, jumping up. “Cathalina 
and I telegraphed right back to Philip, and Hilary 
to Campbell, so there’s no need of letters. They’ll 
be here almost before we could get one to them. By 
the way, Betty, there was a letter for you. We 
brought it up. It is on your side of the dresser. I 
forgot it. We stopped and got our mail, and there 
was this ring for me, so I promptly forgot every¬ 
thing else!” 

Betty ran into the bed-room and, turning on the 
light there, sat down on the bed to read her letter. 
Then out she came, the letter in her hand. “More 
news,” said she. “My brother’s enlisted.” 

At that moment there was a rap, and Isabel came 
in, also holding a letter and looking somewhat dis¬ 
appointed. She began to laugh as soon as she was 
fairly settled, however, and began to tell the girls 
why. “Did you ever see such an old goose as I am!” 
she exclaimed. “Here I wrote to Jim, all excited, 
for fear the boys were going to France next week or 
something, and now that Jim has written they aren’t 
I’m disappointed!” 


GEEYCLIFF HEROINES 


217 


“They aren’t at a military school, are they?” asked 
Betty. 

“No. Jim wrote that he and father had made too 
much of an effort to help the boys through school 
for them to miss the rest of the school year; so they 
will finish. And Jim said that according to the state¬ 
ments of the government, the draft was going to be 
just as honorable, since they can only equip and send 
over a certain number anyhow; so there was no use 
in getting stampeded and throwing away the educa¬ 
tion you might be getting. Listen to this: ‘Don’t 
worry, little sister. They are not going right over, 
because the government probably can’t use them now 
and isn’t ready to train them yet. But remember 
that we are as patriotic as anybody and when the 
time comes we’ll all be there, and I hope to go, too.* 
Poor Jim, with a family on his hands. Father isn’t 
a bit well since Christmas.” 

“We have just decided, Isabel, that we are going 
right on with our lessons as well as our limited brains 
will let us, keep steady, and hope that we can help 
the boys, and do whatever turns up. It’s all so 
mixed up now, with things happening all the time.” 

“I think that is very sensible, Betty,” replied Isa¬ 
bel. “I’m going back to begin now. But I couldn’t 
resist telling you girls.” 

“You must let us tell you our news before you 
go,” said Lilian, “and I want you to see my ring. 
Mother is going to let me wear it now.” 


218 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“Oh, Lilian, are you really engaged?” 

“I really am. It happened at Christmas, but 
Mother thought that she would prefer my not wear¬ 
ing a ring or announcing it generally. But I sup¬ 
pose she didn’t have the heart to keep me from wear¬ 
ing it when Phil came home to enlist. She likes him 
so much, and he is really so irresistible!” 

The girls smiled at that, and Cathalina said: “The 
ring came in the evening mail.” 

“My, but it is a beauty!” exclaimed Isabel, turn¬ 
ing Lilian’s little fist this way and that to catch the 
light of the flashing gem, for the darkness had come 
outside, and their lamp was again burning. 

The eventful Saturday finally came. The girls had 
arranged a little picnic as the best way of getting 
away from the busy surroundings at Greycliff Hall. 
Hilary had thought of it, and suggested that they 
take the horses. “We have never had a picnic like 
that,” said she, “and those prancing steeds need some 
exercise, anyway. Philip and Campbell ride beauti¬ 
fully, and, of course, Donald and Captain Van Horne 
do, too.” 

“Captain Van Horne!” exclaimed Cathalina. “Do 
?^ou expect me to invite him to take me out?” 

“No, of course not, but Donald can ask him if he 
wants to go and there isn’t any doubt whom he 
would ask to go with him, is there ?” Hilary looked 
at Cathalina with twinkling eyes. 

“Oh!” said Cathalina. 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


219 


Captain Van Horne came over himself to ask 
Cathalina. She telegraphed in time to Philip for 
both guests to bring “riding togs/' and asked Miss 
Randolph if they might carry out the idea. Miss 
Randolph consented, appointed Patricia West and 
Dr. Norris as chaperones, and said that one of the 
grooms should accompany the party. 

“She was just as interested/’ said Cathalina. “I 
believe that she wants to see Philip and Campbell!” 

“Why shouldn’t she?” asked Hilary and Lilian at 
once. 

“We’d better have Prince and Pepper for the boys, 
don’t you think?” continued Cathalina. “They have 
the most style ” 

“They are the prettiest horses we have,” assented 
Lilian, “but I don’t know that I’d call them stylish, 
exactly. But don’t get Poky, whatever you do.” 

“We may have to take whatever they give us,” 
said Hilary. 

“Well, I’m going to see the riding master,” said 
Cathalina, “and explain that we want the nicest 
horses they have.” 

“Donald and Captain Van Horne will bring their 
own horses, won’t they?” asked Hilary. 

“Oh, yes,” replied Betty. “And Donald said that 
he and Captain Van Horne thought it would be 
better to take our dinner at Greycliff Village or 
wherever we are, instead of packing any lunch.” 


220 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“I know that Phil and Campbell will prefer it,” 
said Cathalina. 

Some of the people at Greycliff Heights were 
much impressed by the arrival of what Hilary called, 
quoting from her Caesar, “two youths of culture and 
valor,” at Greycliff Inn. Philip had brought Louis 
along to look after everything. “My last trip with 
a valet,” he told Lilian. “Louis and I are going to 
enlist together.” 

The train came in early Saturday morning, and 
the boys wasted no time after breakfast, but tele¬ 
phoned to Greycliff Hall and later took a taxi out 
there. Miss Randolph invited them to stay for lunch, 
and while the two young men rather disliked the 
idea of lunching with so many fair damsels, they 
accepted for the sake of Cathalina, Lilian and Hil¬ 
ary, who were not averse to having the girls see 
them. “I’m so proud of you,” whispered Cathalina 
on one side of Philip, as they sat at Miss Randolph’s 
table. 

After lunch, the two guests went back to the vil¬ 
lage to get ready for the trip, and the groom took 
ever the horses. It was a sunshiny, cloudless day, a 
fresh breeze blowing from the lake, the birds sing¬ 
ing, the fields green, and the picnic party as happy 
as could be. 

“I’m going to take the advice of the poet,” said 
Philip, “and ‘gather rosebuds while I may.’ Let’s 
have this day to remember, Lilian.” 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


221 


The rest were in the same mood. They followed 
the bridle path through the woods along the lake, 
toward Greycliff Village, then, by a little country 
road, took a gallop over the hills in another direc¬ 
tion. The groom knew all the roads and directed 
them to the most attractive parts of the country. A 
great part of the time, the young people jogged along 
in pairs, saying part of the many things they had to 
say to each other in the time that seemed so short. 
In one lovely spot they all dismounted and strolled 
about, sat on logs or stumps, or picked the wild 
flowers, for nearly an hour. Hilary had swung her 
field glasses about her neck, and she and Campbell 
made up her list of spring birds, with many new ones. 

Donald had, as usual, much to relate to Betty. He 
pinned violets on his “pansy girl,” although she de¬ 
clared that flowers were not appropriate to a riding 
habit. “Fm surely glad that I took your advice, 
Betty,” said he. “I would not have missed this pic¬ 
nic and ride for the world. And when Father and 
Mother and both the girls wrote me the fine letters 
they did, I was ashamed of thinking that I would go 
off without telling them. It is going to be all right. 
Father asked me, if I felt I could, to wait and see 
when the school would close, since I had told him 
that it might close earlier. He would very much like 
me to finish the year and get my credits and come 
home to see them. Then if I want to enlist, all 
right; and he said that he would not forbid my do- 


222 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


ing it at any time. But it is only a little while to 
wait, so Fll do what they want me to.” 

“I’m so relieved,” sighed Betty. 

“On their account, I suppose,” said Donald, pull¬ 
ing down his mouth at the corners, in pretended 
resignation. 

“On my own, too,” said Betty, laughing, and 
jumping up from the stump where they had been 
sitting, to run to her horse. “They are going. 
Didn’t you hear Miss West’s whistle blow? . She 
has one of those referee whistles along.” 

“What kind of a whistle?” laughed Donald. 

“One that the referees blow when we have basket 
ball or anything.” 

Philip had asked to be the host at Greycliff Inn, 
where the party had dinner. The village was 
enough of a country town to be able to furnish the 
finest of foods, if it lacked some of the city ideas. 
The inn was a new place, clean and quiet, with pleas¬ 
ant parlors, where they visited until called to dinner, 
ordered beforehand by Philip. Here the visiting 
was general. As Captain Van Horne and Dr. 
Norris were nearly of an age, Cathalina found her¬ 
self drawn into conversation with them, and discuss¬ 
ing, as she told the girls afterward, “things she didn’t 
know anything about.” 

Then came the canter home in the twilight. Philip 
and Campbell were to stay over Sunday, leaving 
early Monday morning. Captain Van Horne was 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


223 


leaving, with Lieutenant Maxwell, very shortly, but 
expected to visit Greycliff before that time. Captain 
Van Horne confirmed the rumor that the military 
school was to close earlier than the time noted in 
the catalogue. Donald announced to Betty that he 
was coming over to Greycliff every time he could 
get off until he left for home—with her permission. 

“You have a standing invitation,” replied Betty, 
“and I think that Miss Randolph will be good to all 
our ‘departing heroes’!” 

Lilian and Philip, though they had the best horses, 
lagged behind the rest, till Cathalina had to gallop 
back and tell them to hurry if they were to get in by 
the study bell, as directed. And just as they entered 
the grounds it rang. 


224 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


CHAPTER XVIII 

TO THE RESCUE 

Life to some of the girls at Greycliff seemed 
“stale, flat and unprofitable” after Philip and Camp¬ 
bell, Captain Van Horne, Donald, and the rest of 
the boys and instructors at the military academy had 
gone. The school at Greycliff continued several 
weeks after the other school was closed. “I can 
think of nothing better for you,” declared Miss Ran¬ 
dolph in a chapel talk, “than to stay here and work 
while the nation and your homes are in this turmoil. 
I appreciate all the thoughts that call you homeward, 
but it will not be long before you can go. The prizes 
for excellence will soon be awarded, and we must 
make this Commencement worth while for those 
who have earned them.” Indeed there was nothing 
else to do but to continue as nearly as possible in the 
ordinary school schedule. Old amusements began 
again to have their charm, especially in the beautiful 
environment of Greycliff. The outdoor sports en¬ 
gaged the girls in their free moments. As soon as 
the ice had gone out of the little river and the spring 
freshets were over, canoeing became a popular sport. 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 225 

and the girls who had been together at camp during 
the previous summer were especially good in it. 
There was a new and larger boathouse this year, on 
the river, and more canoes than before were avail¬ 
able. 

One especially warm day, Cathalina and Hilary 
were having a talk. They were sitting where the 
rise of ground from the shore of the river jutted out 
a little over the stream, and a tree recently felled 
made a rustic seat. They had just come up from 
the beach through the wood, and seeing Isabel in a 
canoe, strolled down from the wood to watch her. 

‘‘Take off your cloak, Cathalina,” said Hilary, 
“and let this June sun dry your bathing suit. It 
feels fine. The water was cold, wasn’t it?” 

“Yes, but that is not strange in this climate. We 
ought to go right in, according to rules.” 

“The sun is hot enough, this afternoon, but we’ll 
go in a minute. Seems to me the river is a little 
rough.” 

“They had some storms south and west of us, last 
night and this morning. I imagine Isabel is having 
a hard row of it upstream.” 

“She is paddling, not rowing. There she has 
turned again.” 

“Hilary, do you remember the first year we were 
here together?” 

“Indeed I do, Cathalina. I had never been with 
anybody just like you, and I enjoyed it so much.” 


226 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“I didn’t amount to much, I guess.” 

“Indeed you did. You had lots of grit to do so 
much that you were not accustomed to doing. I 
admired you very much, and do yet.” 

“You were the splendid girl that taught me so 
much,” said Cathalina. “I hope that you are going 
to belong to our family. Campbell doesn’t think of 
a girl but you.” 

“It isn’t settled yet,” said Hilary, which was more 
than she had said as yet to any one except Lilian. “I 
think so much of Campbell, but there is college and 
the war and everything, and, Cathalina, I couldn’t 
be engaged to Campbell unless he asked me, could 
I?” Hilary’s eyes were dancing now. 

“What! The silly boy! He’d better make sure 
of you!” 

“I’m sure he feels conscientious about the war. 
He said that he couldn’t do what Phil is doing—not 
that he was criticizing Phil, you understand, Catha¬ 
lina, because I know how much he thinks of him.” 

Cathalina nodded. 

“I don’t know whether I am ready myself, yet, 
either. But we just keep getting better and better 
acquainted and like to be together.” 

Cathalina shook her head. “That isn’t very ro¬ 
mantic, is it ? Look at Isabel, Hilary! What is she 
doing?” Cathalina was standing on the edge of the 
elevation watching Isabel, who seemed to have 
caught her canoe in a snag or some obstruction near 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


007 

the opposite side of the stream. Suddenly whatever 
it was gave way and the canoe shot out and over 
toward the other shore with a force that upset it. 

“Isabel will get a plunge, too,” said Cathalina 
lightly, watching closely, however, till Isabel should 
come to the surface and strike out for the shore or 
the canoe. But Isabel when she came to the surface 
made no effort and sank again a little farther down 
stream. “Get a canoe, Hilary!” called Cathalina as 
she dived from the point in the hope of catching 
Isabel in time. 

Hilary wasted not a minute, but bounded down 
the incline to the shore, and thrust out with one of 
the canoes that had, fortunately, been left there. As 
she paddled, she shouted, in the hope that some one 
might be near enough to hear her, though none of 
the men was in sight, and it seemed as if all the girls 
must be at the lake shore. “I wish I had a bigger 
boat to pick them up in,” thought Hilary, “but the 
canoe is faster. Oh, please, Lord, let me get there 
in time!” 

Although the river was muddy, and the branch, 
or small tree in which Isabel’s canoe had caught 
must have been brought down quite recently, the 
current was not very strong, and that was in the 
girls’ favor. Cathalina, on coming up from her dive, 
caught sight of Isabel’s head only a little above her, 
but as she disappeared at once, she dived to get her 
and caught her. Not for nothing had Cathalina 


228 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


watched the life-saving tests at camp. She had tried 
the “bringing in” of a supposedly drowning girl, but 
this was different, and the bank looked a long way 
off. But by this time, water was a familiar element, 
and she felt that she could keep them both up for a 
little while. Supporting Isabel’s head, she waited 
for help, trying to direct their way toward the shore 
as much as she could, but carried further down by 
the current. 

Hilary knew that Cathalina’s endurance was not 
equal to her courage, and paddled her best to make 
up for the time lost in getting started. Several times 
she lost sight of the girls, and fear struck her heart. 
But they had only drifted around a curve, and Catha- 
lina had managed to get out of the current and nearer 
the shore. But the stream was deep at that point, 
and Cathalina’s strength only sufficient to keep afloat. 
It seemed ages till she heard Hilary’s encouraging 
voice. “Here I am, now steady and careful, so the 
canoe won’t go over!” 

Cathalina grasped the side of the canoe, while 
Hilary tried to balance it, but the pull on Cathalina’s 
side was too much. Hilary found herself in the 
water, added to the number of “casualties,” with 
only that fact that Hilary was a strong swimmer, 
and that the shore was not far away, in their favor. 
The canoe had slipped from Cathalina’s stiff fingers, 
though she still kept Isabel above the water. But 
just as she was about to give up hope, Hilary 


GREYCLIFF HEKOINES 


229 


reached her and took Isabel, and a rowboat rounded 
the curve, with Mickey pulling furiously. 

“Take Cathalina in first,” sputtered Hilary, “and 
I'll help you get Isabel in.” 

Mickey helped the dripping Cathalina over the 
side of the rowboat, and with Hilary’s assistance 
drew Isabel up and over, putting her in the bottom 
of the boat with her head on Cathalina’s lap. Then 
Hilary scrambled in, and Mickey made haste to 
shore. By this time, they were where the river 
widened, just before emptying into the lake, and the 
shore was sandy. Mickey laid Isabel on the beach 
and began to work over her. Hilary helped, but told 
Cathalina to stretch out on the sand before she tried 
to climb the hill to the Hall. 

“Go on, now, Miss Hilary,” said Mickey, “and 
have them get things ready at the hospital. She’s 
breathing and the water’s out of her. I’ll have her 
there in a jiffy.” But two or three of the girls from 
the lake shore who were half way up the hill already 
got Hilary’s word and sped more quickly than the 
tired Hilary to have the nurse at the little hospital 
annex ready to receive her patient. Cathalina, also, 
rose and dragged herself up the hill, after Hilary 
and Mickey, who had Isabel gathered in his strong 
arms, and wasted no time in climbing the ascent and 
hurrying across the campus. 

The word went round. “Isabel Hunt’s drowned, 


230 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


and Cathalina Van Buskirk and Hilary Lancaster, 
too, they say.” 

This was repeated outside of Isabel's suite to 
Olivia, who was about to enter. Two girls had just 
come in, and were passing through the hall. 

“No, they aren’t, either,” said one. “I saw them 
going into the pest house, but Cathalina could 
scarcely drag herself there. Mickey was carrying 
Isabel, and told us to ‘clear out’!” The girl giggled, 
in spite of the serious occasion. Olivia burst into 
the room with the news. 

“Isabel drowned!” exclaimed Virginia. “Why, 
she is one of the best swimmers here! Didn’t she 
win a swimming meet at camp last summer?” Vir- 
gie had jumped up and her book had fallen to the 
floor. “I’m going right over. Why, we just came 
from there! We were all canoeing, and Isabel said 
she wanted to stay out a little while longer, and 
Mickey was right in the boathouse at the landing, 
working on a canoe.” As she talked, she was twist¬ 
ing up her hair, which she had been drying, and ran 
to the closet for dress-skirt and middy. “Why didn’t 
I dress when I came in!” 

“Here, let me help you,” said Olivia. “You’re 
hands are all shaking, and you are trembling all 
over! I don’t believe Isabel is drowned, but we’ll 
go and find out.” Olivia might have hung up the 
kimono which she took from Virginia, but she threw 
it on the floor, and while Virginia fastened one gar- 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


231 


ment, had the other ready to go over her head. 
“Where’s Avalon? Was she with Isabel?” 

“I don’t know where Avalon is. She may be 
drowned, too, for all I know.” 

“Cheer up. Remember your name’s Hope, as 
Isabel says.” 

“How in the world did Cathalina and Hilary get 
there?” continued Virgie, thinking aloud. “They 
were at the shore, and would go right in after bath¬ 
ing.” 

“Gracious, Virgie—I don’t know. All I know is 
what the girls said just now. I don’t see why 
Mickey should be in such a hurry and be so cross if 
it were too late to do' anything.” 

The two girls ran down the back stairs to the door 
where Betty had seen Donald’s mirrored countenance 
on that famous Hallowe’en, and crossed the campus 
a short distance to the “pest house,” or hospital an¬ 
nex. A group of girls had just left, walking away 
in an opposite direction, but as Olivia and Virginia 
neared the door, it opened and Hilary came out, 
wrapped in a big grey blanket. She was bound for 
the same door of Greycliff Hall from which Olivia 
and Virginia had come, and had on some big felt 
slippers and a few garments furnished by the nurse, 
in place of her wet sandals and bathing suit. She 
smiled rather wanly at the excited girls, and Virginia 
asked at once, “Is it true that Isabel was drowned?” 

“No, indeed! But she came pretty near it.” 


232 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


“How did it happen? Tell us about it!” 

“Wait till I get upstairs, if you don't mind. I feel 
funny, too, from some medicine they gave me, but 
Miss Randolph said I could go to bed in the suite. 
She said that she was glad Cathalina and I broke 
the rules for once.” 

“What rules?—Oh, well, I won't ask any more 
questions till you get to bed. Did you rescue 
Isabel?” 

Olivia began to laugh. “Aren’t you perfectly kill¬ 
ing, Virginia Hope! Just said you wouldn’t ask 
questions and ask her another in the same breath! 
Come on, Hilary, I’ll help you upstairs.” But Hil¬ 
ary, gathering her blanket around her, was climbing 
the back stairs without any assistance, laughing, too, 
at Virginia. 

“I don’t blame you, Virgie. I wouldn't let you 
come with me if there were any chance of your see¬ 
ing Isabel. She is feeling pretty sick right now, 
and a doctor is going to come and look her over. 
They put Cathalina to bed, too. She was the one 
who rescued Isabel. She would have been gone if 
it hadn’t been for Cathalina. She was standing on 
the edge of the bank and dived to get her.” Hilary 
went up a few more steps and then remembered an¬ 
other of Virginia's questions. “Oh, yes, about 
breaking rules. It was so warm, you know, that we 
took our time about getting up to the Hall, and de¬ 
cided we’d go through the wood to get to the side 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


233 


door. Then we saw Isabel, and I threw off my cloak 
and sat in the sun on that tree Mickey cut down— 
and, of course, it was breaking rules to wait, but we 
did not think of it then. As I told Miss Randolph, 
we were 'just stopping a minute’ on the way. We 
didn’t see Mickey at all, but he was in the boathouse 
and started right after us. I was in a canoe, you 
know, by that time.” 

"No, we didn’t know. I suppose when Cathalina 
dived, you ran for a boat.” 

"That was it.” 

"Two more 'heroines,’ ” remarked Olivia. 

"Only one,”’ said Hilary. "Cathalina kept Isabel 
up till I got there, and then the canoe upset! I think 
I could have taken Isabel to shore, but it would have 
taken so much longer.” 

Betty and Lilian were at home when the girls 
reached the suite, and had not heard a word of the 
whole matter. They brought Hilary’s own pretty 
gown, opened the bed and tucked her in "her downy 
cot,” as Lilian said. 

"My, doesn’t bed feel good?” said Hilary. "I’d 
be all right if I hadn’t swallowed a lot of that river 
water, and they gave me something hot at the pest 
house that made my head swim. Why, I’ve paddled 
miles, and—swim, swam, swum a long time without 
its hurting me. I was in the water this time only a 
few minutes.” 

"But it was the strain of the danger, I imagine, 


234 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


and Isabel so near drowning, that made you feel so 
used up,” suggested Lilian. 

“Miss Randolph told me to go to bed and stay 
there,” laughed Hilary, “and she would order a good 
dinner sent up to me. I wasn’t to worry about either 
Cathalina or Isabel. Cathalina is just tired out.” 

“Why couldn’t Isabel swim ?” asked Virginia, for 
the account had been confusing as it was repeated 
to Betty and Lilian. 

“She must have been hurt in some way getting 
loose from that branch or log, whatever it was.” 

“Maybe she just fainted,” suggested Olivia. 

“Isabel faint!” exclaimed Virgie. “I don’t know, 
though; she said she was dizzy this morning. Per¬ 
haps she’s coming down with something.” 

“We were all going down for a while, “assented 
Hilary, with a smile. 

“Nothing serious the matter with Hilary, Lilian— 
she can joke still.” 

“But you girls will find out how Isabel is before 
long and let me know, won’t you?” begged Hilary. 
“Excuse me now; I’m going to sleep. I’m glad to 
get rid of the hot grey blanket that I had to wear, to 
cover deficiencies in wardrobe.” 

Hilary impolitely turned her back upon the girls, 
while Lilian drew the sheet and light blanket about 
her shoulders, pulled down the shade part way, and 
tiptoed out, propping the door ajar that the June 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 235 

breeze might pass through. Then she took a book 
and sat down in the study to keep guard. 

Betty and Virginia had gone right out. “I’m 
going straight to Miss Randolph,” said Betty. 
“Cathalina is my room-mate, and she will think it’s 
all right for me to inquire.” 

“So is Isabel mine,” said Virginia. “Do you sup¬ 
pose she has come back from the hospital ?” 

“I should think so, unless there is something 
wrong with Isabel. The nurse will telephone every¬ 
thing.” 

As the girls approached Miss Randolph’s door, 
with that guilty feeling of intrusion which attacked 
them under such circumstances, Mickey came out, 
having been called in to be questioned. His face 
was red, but he was smiling. 

“Oh, Mickey—you can tell us better than any¬ 
body how Isabel really is and all about it.” 

“There isn’t much,” replied Mickey. “Oi wuz 
worrkin’ in the boathouse an’ the gurrls wuz all 
leavin’ the river. After I didn’t hear ’em no more, 
I looks out an’ I sees the wan gurrl in the canoe, an’ 
I starrted around the buildin’ fur wan o’ me tools I’d 
left out there. Thin I hurrd a yell an’ there was Miss 
Hilary beatin’ it down the river in a canoe and the 
little one was nowhere to be seen. So I gets out a 
rowboat and starts after ’em. All of ’em wuz in the 
water when I got there.” 

After hearing Mickey’s account, Betty and Vir- 


236 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


ginia decided not to bother Miss Randolph, and in 
an hour or so Cathalina came over, quite refreshed, 
finding Hilary up and demanding to go down to 
dinner. Betty ran to ask Miss Randolph, who con¬ 
sented. Cathalina reported that Isabel was “nearly 
all right,” and that it was as they thought—she had 
gotten hurt when she pushed away from the branches 
of the log. “The doctor was there and said that 
there was nothing wrong. Isabel says that it is to 
make up for her not being in the wreck last year— 
she has to be known to fame in some way!” 

“Isn’t that just like Isabel?” said Betty. 

There were only a few days more of school. Many 
plans had been changed in regard to public events. 
There was no lawn fete, and the Glee Club concert 
had been more like an ordinary recital at the Hall, 
with only a few visitors from Greycliff Village. But 
the girls adjusted themselves to the new conditions 
and made ready for the summer vacation with all its 
interests, chief of which was to get home to mothers 
and fathers who were seeing their boys off to vari¬ 
ous camps, or expecting them to leave as soon as 
called. 

Virginia, as she had hoped, won second place as 
debater, the highest honors going to Isabel. Thanks 
to one of the wealthy trustees, this was a comfort¬ 
able little sum of money for each of them. Virginia 
also won a collegiate scholarship and was leaving 
with the happy feeling that not only were her bills 


GREYCLIFF HEROINES 


237 


all paid, but there was a good chance of her return¬ 
ing for another year at Greycliff. “Any one who 
makes as good candy as you do,” Isabel solemnly 
told her one day, “will always be welcome at 
Greycliff!” 

Isabel was to pay a visit to Cathalina in the sum¬ 
mer and claimed to be “in ecstasies at the thought.” 
She had put her arms around Cathalina’s neck and 
held her close the first time she saw Cathalina after 
the accident. 

“To think you went right in after me!” 

“Nonsense,” said Cathalina, embarrassed. “Of 
course I would.” 


THE END 













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THE RADIO BOYS RESCUE THE LOST 
ALASKA EXPEDITION 


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BY CLAUDE H. LA BELLE 

A new series of copyright titles telling of the 
adventures of three boys with the Forest Rangers 
in the state of Maine. 


Handsome Cloth Binding. 
PRICE, 65 CENTS EACH. 


THE RANGER BOYS TO THE RESCUE 

THE RANGER BOYS FIND THE HERMIT, 

THE RANGER BOYS AND THE BORDER 
SMUGGLERS 

THE RANGER BOYS OUTWIT THE TIMBER 
THIEVES 

THE RANGER BOYS AND THEIR REWARD 


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The 

Golden Boys 
Series 


BY L. P. WYMAN, PH.D. 

Dean of Pennsylvania Military College. 

A new series of instructive copyright stories for 
boys of High School Age. 



Handsome Cloth Binding. 
PRICE, 65 CENTS EACH. 


THE GOLDEN BOYS AND THEIR NEW 
ELECTRIC CELL 

THE GOLDEN BOYS AT THE FORTRESS 

THE GOLDEN BOYS IN THE MAINE 
WOODS 

THE GOLDEN BOYS WITH THE LUMBER 
JACKS 

THE GOLDEN BOYS ON THE RIVER DRIVE 

< 

£ , . : ' 

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The 

Boy Troopers 
Series 


BY CLAIR W. HAYES 
Author of the Famous “Boy Allies” Series. 

The adventures of two boys with the Pennsyl¬ 
vania State Police. 

All Copyrighted Titles. 

Cloth Bound, with Attractive Cover Designs. 

PRICE, 65 CENTS EACH. 

THE BOY TROOPERS ON THE TRAIL 

THE BOY TROOPERS IN THE NORTHWEST 

THE BOY TROOPERS ON STRIKE DUTY 

THE BOY TROOPERS AMONG THE WILD 
MOUNTAINEERS 

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The Boy Scouts Series 

BY HERBERT CARTER 


For Boys 12 to 16 Years 
All Cloth Bound Copyright Titles 
PRICE, 65 CENTS EACH 

New Stories of Camp Life 


THE BOY SCOUTS’ FIRST CAMPFIRE; or, Scouting 
with the Silver Fox Patrol. 

THE BOY SCOUTS IN THE BLUE RIDGE; or. 
Marooned Among the Moonshiners. 

THE BOY SCOUTS ON THE TRAIL; or. Scouting 
through the Big Game Country. 

THE BOY SCOUTS IN THE MAINE WOODS; or. 
The New Test for the Silver Fox Patrol. 

THE BOY SCOUTS THROUGH THE BIG TIMBER; 
or, The Search for the Lost Tenderfoot. 

THE BOY SCOUTS IN THE ROCKIES; or, The Secret 
of the Hidden Silver Mine. 

THE BOY SCOUTS ON STURGEON ISLAND; or, 
Marooned Among the Game-Fish Poachers. 

THE BOY SCOUTS DOWN IN DIXIE; or. The Strange 
Secret of Alligator Swamp. 

THE BOY SCOUTS AT THE BATTLE OF SARATO¬ 
GA; A story of Burgoyne’s Defeat in 1777. 

THE BOY SCOUTS ALONG THE SUSQUEHANNA; 
or. The Silver Fox Patrol Caught in a Flood. 

THE BOY SCOUTS ON WAR TRAILS IN BELGIUM; 
or, Caught Between Hostile Armies. 

THE BOY SCOUTS AFOOT IN FRANCE; or, With 
The Red Cross Corps at the Marne. 


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The Boy Allies 

{Registered in the United States 
Patent Office) 

With the 

BY 

ENSIGN ROBERT L. DRAKE 


For Boys 12 to 16 Years. 

All Cloth Bound Copyright Titles 
PRICE, 65 CENTS EACH 

Frank Chadwick and Jack Templeton, young American lads, 
meet each other in an unusual way soon after the declaration 
of war. Circumstances place them on board the British cruiser, 
“The Sylph,” and from there on, they share adventures with 
the sailors of the Allies. Ensign Robert L. Drake, the author, 
is an experienced naval officer, and he describes admirably the 
many exciting adventures of the two boys. 

THE BOY ALLIES ON THE NORTH SEA PATROL; or, Strik¬ 
ing the First Blow at the German Fleet. 

THE BOY ALLIES UNDER TWO FLAGS; or, Sweeping the 
Enemy from the Sea. 

THE BOY ALLIES WITH THE FLYING SQUADRON; or, The 
Naval Raiders of the Great War. 

THE BOY ALLIES WITH THE TERROR OF THE SEA; or, 
The Last Shot of Submarine D-16. 

THE BOY ALLIES UNDER THE SEA; or. The Vanishing 
Submarine. 

THE BOY ALLIES IN THE BALTIC; or, Through Fields of 
Ice to Aid the Czar. 

THE BOY ALLIES AT JUTLND; or, The Greatest Naval Battle 
of History. 

THE BOY ALLIES WITH UNCLE SAM'S CRUISERS; or, C6n- 
voying the American Army Across the Atlantic. 

THE BOY ALLIES WITH THE SUBMARINE D-32; or, The 
Fail of the Russian Empire. 

THE BOY ALLIES WITH THE VICTORIOUS FLEETS; or. 
The Fall of the German Navy. 




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by the Publishers 

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The Boy Allies 

(Registered in the United States 
Patent Office) 

With the 

BY CLAIR W. HAYES 


For Boys 12 to 16 Years. 

All Cloth Bound Copyright Titles 
PRICE, 65 CENTS EACH 

In this series we follow the fortunes of two American lads 

unable to leave Europe after war is declared. They meet the 

soldiers of the Allies, and decide to cast their lot with them. 

Their experiences and escapes are many, and furnish plenty 

of good, healthy action that every boy lovea 

THE BOY ALLIES AT LIEGE; or, Through Lines of Steel. 

THE BOY ALLIES ON THE FIRING LINE; or, Twelve Days 
Battle Along the Marne. 

THE BOY ALLIES WITH THE COSSACKS; or, A Wild Dash 
Over the Carpathians. 

THE BOY ALLIES IN THE TRENCHES; or, Midst Shot and 
Shell Along the Alsne. 

THE BOY ALLIES IN GREAT PERIL; or. With the Italian 
Army In the Alps. 

THE BOY ALLIES IN THE BALKAN CAMPAIGN; or. The 
Struggle to Save a Nation. 

THE BOY ALLIES ON THE SOMME; or, Courage and Bravery 
Rewarded. 

THE BOY ALLIES AT VERDUN; or, Saving France from the 
Enemy. 

THE BOY ALLIES UNDER THE STARS AND STRIPES; or. 
Leading the American Troops to the Firing Line. 

THE BOY ALLIES WITH HAIG IN FLANDERS; or, The Fight- 
ing Canadians of Vimy Ridge. 

THE BOY ALLIES WITH PERSHING IN FRANCE; or, Over 
the Top at Chateau Thierry. 

THE BOY ALIES WITH THE GREAT ADVANCE; or. Driving 
the Enemy Through France and Belgium. 

THE BOY ALLIES WITH MARSHAL FOCH; or. The Closing 
Days of the Great World War. 





/MBcyAiues 
Great Peril 



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The Jack 
Lorimer Series 

BY WINN STANDISH 

For Boys 12 to 16 Years. 

All Cloth Bound Copyright Titles 
PRICE, 65 CENTS EACH 


CAPTAIN JACK LORIMER; or, The Young Athlete of Mill- 
vale High. 

Jack Lorimer is a fine example of the all-around Amer¬ 
ican high-school boys. His fondness for clean, honest 
sport of all kinds will strike a chord of sympathy among 
athletic youths. 

JACK LORIMER'S CHAMPIONS; or, Sports on Land and Lake. 

There is a lively story woven in with the athletic achieve¬ 
ments, which are all right, since the book has been O. K’d. 
by Chadwick, the Nestor of American Sporting journalism. 

JACK LORIMER'S HOLIDAYS; or, Millvale High In Camp. 

It would be well not to put this book into a boy’s hands 
until the chores are finished, otherwise they might be 
neglected. 

JACK LORIMER'S SUBSTITUTE; or, The Acting Captain of 
the Team. 

On the sporting side, this book takes up football, wrestling, 
and tobogganing. There is a good deal of fun in this book 
and plenty of action. 

JACK LORIMER, FRESHMAN; or, From Millvale High to 
Exmouth. 

Jack and some friends he makes crowd innumerable hap¬ 
penings into an exciting freshman year at one of the lead¬ 
ing Eastern colleges. The book is typical of the American 
college boy’s life, and there is a lively story, interwoven 
with feats on the gridiron, hockey, basketball and other 
clean honest sports for which Jack Lorimer stands. 



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by the Publishers 

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The Navy Boys Series 


A series of excellent stories of adventure on 
sea and land, selected from the works of popu¬ 
lar writers; each volume designed for boys’ 
reading. 

Handsome Cloth Bindings 


THE NAVY BOYS IN DEFENCE OF LIBERTY. 

A story of the burning of the British schooner Gaspee in 1772. 

By William P. Chipman. 

THE NAVY BOYS ON LONG ISLAND SOUND. 

A story of the Whale Boat Navy of 1776. 

By James Otis. 

THE NAVY BOYS AT THE SIEGE OF HAVANA. 

Being the experience of three boys serving under Israel Putnam in 1772 , 

By James Otis. 

THE NAVY BOYS WITH GRANT AT VICKSBURG. 

A boy’s story of the siege of Vicksburg. 

By James Otis. 

THE NAVY BOYS’ CRUISE WITH PAUL JONES, 

A boy’s story of a cruise with the Great Commodore in 1776. 

By James Otis. 

THE NAVY BOYS ON LAKE ONTARIO. 

The story of two boys and their adventures in the War of 1812, 

By James Otis. 

THE NAVY BOYS’ CRUISE ON THE PICKERING. 

A boy’s story of privateering in 1780 
By James Otis. 

THE NAVY BOYS IN NEW YORK BAY. 

A story of three boys who took command of the schooner “The Latching 
lary,” the first vessel of the American Navy. 

By James Oti.». 

THE NAVY BOYS IN THE TRACK OF THE ENEMY. 

The story of a remarkable cruise with the Sloop of War “ Providence ” and the 
Trigate “Alfred.” 

By William P. Chipman. 

THE NAVY BOYS’ DARING CAPTURE. 

The story of how the navy boys helped to capture the British Cuttei 
' Margaretta," in 1775. 

By William P. Chipman. i 

THE NAVY BOYS’ CRUISE TO THE BAHAMAS. 

The adventures of two Yankee Middies with the first cruise of sn 
’jnerican Squadron in 1775. 

By William P. Chipman. 

IHE NAVY BOYS’ CRUISE WITH COLUMBUS. 

The adventures of two boys who sailed with the great Admiral in Titf 
.discovery of America, 
j By Frederick A. Obey. 












The Boy Spies Series 


These stories are based on important bis 
torical events, scenes wherein boys are pron> 
inent characters being selected. They are the 
romance of history, vigorously told, with carefu, 
fidelity to picturing the home life, and accurate 
in every particular. 

Handsome Cloth Bindings 


THE BOY SPIES AT THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS 

A story of the part they took in its defence. 

By William P. Chipman. 

THE BOY SPIES AT THE DEFENCE OF FORT HENRY 

A boy’s story of Wheeling Creek in 1777. 

By James Otis. 

THE BOY SPIES AT THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HSU* 

A story of two boys at the siege of Boston. 

By James Otis. 

THE BOY SPIES AT THE SIEGE OF DETROIT. 

A story of two Ohio boys in the War of 1812. 

By James Otis. 

THE BOY SPIES WITH LAFAYETTE. 

The story of how two boys joined the Continental Army. 

By James Otis. 

THE BOY SPIES ON CHESAPEAKE BAY. 

The story of two young spies mder Commodore Barney. 

By James Otis. 

THE BOY SPIES WITH THE REGULATORS. 

The story of how the boys assisted the Carolina Patriots to drive £j$L 
British from that State, 

By James Otis. 

THE BOY SPIES WITH THE SWAMP FOX. 

The story of General Marion and his young spies. 

By James Otis- 

FHE BOY SPIES AT YORKTOWN. 

The story of how the spies helped General Lafayette in the Siege 01 
Forktown. 

By James Otis. 

THE BOY SPIES OF PHILADELPHIA. 

The story of how the young spies helped the Continental Arsny a* 
/alley Forge. 

By James Otis. 

(THE BOY SPIES OF FORT GRISWOLD. 

The story of the part they took in its brave defence. 

By William P. Chipman. 

IHE BOY SPIES OF OLD NEW YORK, 

The story of how the young spies prevented the capture of ’Senerd 
Washington. 

By James Oris. 


Site fey *33 booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt d* price 
~ ^blither*. A. £.. BURT COMPANY, 114-120 East 23d Street. Ywte 3 
























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